QV Investors Inc. Sells 1,730 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

QV Investors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,230 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 1,730 shares during the period. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $11,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROST. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.29.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ ROST traded down $1.09 during trading on Monday, reaching $150.65. 831,256 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,027,365. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.67. The stock has a market cap of $49.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.15%.

About Ross Stores

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.