Candriam S.C.A. Purchases 1,096 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,575 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,096 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.4 %

ROST opened at $135.96 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.53 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a fifty day moving average of $145.37 and a 200-day moving average of $147.49. The stock has a market cap of $44.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.07.

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.