Empowered Funds LLC Sells 1,417 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Empowered Funds LLC lowered its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,782 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 1,417 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,983 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,483 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,796,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. NatWest Group plc grew its stake in Ross Stores by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. NatWest Group plc now owns 43,294 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $6,549,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the period. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $1,151,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Ross Stores by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 37,348 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $5,650,000 after buying an additional 970 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. 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 note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.6 %

ROST opened at $141.27 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $148.01. 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 company has a market capitalization of $46.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) 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 company 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%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. 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.