Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Hendershot Investments Inc.

Hendershot Investments Inc. reduced its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 74,602 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 224 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up about 1.5% of Hendershot Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Hendershot Investments Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $11,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $33,000. 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. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $142.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $151.04 and a 200-day moving average of $147.93. The company has a market capitalization of $47.04 billion, a PE ratio of 22.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.