Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Coho Partners Ltd.

Coho Partners Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 734,394 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 146,453 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up 5.1% of Coho Partners Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Coho Partners Ltd.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $111,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 4,043 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 46,018 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $6,961,000 after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 47,527 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $7,189,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 44.7% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 16,465 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,491,000 after purchasing an additional 5,090 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $140.44 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.53 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $150.21 and its 200 day moving average is $147.95.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ROST. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (down previously from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.