Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. Acquires Shares of 10,388 Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 10,388 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,571,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,507,922 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew 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 worth $299,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,144,774 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 616,860 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $86,732,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 331,007 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.5 %

ROST stock traded up $2.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $150.15. 2,331,314 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,375,451. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-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. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.54 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.87.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Ross Stores's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ROST shares. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.06.

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.