Triasima Portfolio Management inc. Takes $1.15 Million Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Triasima Portfolio Management inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,610 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,151,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 64.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $581,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507,922 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Ross Stores by 137.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $299,583,000 after acquiring an additional 1,144,774 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 4,787.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 629,744 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $94,783,000 after acquiring an additional 616,860 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,732,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 478.4% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 400,204 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $60,235,000 after purchasing an additional 331,007 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 price target (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target (down from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.06.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $0.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $141.18. 1,356,259 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,277,562. The stock has a market cap of $46.58 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The business's fifty day moving average is $150.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.01. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $127.53 and a one year high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 23.15%.

Ross Stores Company Profile

Ross Stores, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS brand names in the United States. Its stores primarily offer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions. The company's Ross Dress for Less stores sell its products at department and specialty stores to middle income households; and dd's DISCOUNTS stores sell its products at department and discount stores for households with moderate income.