Capital Market Strategies LLC Makes New $221,000 Investment in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Capital Market Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 1,462 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.38 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $155.63. 726,523 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,519. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.49. 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 market cap of $51.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, 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.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 23.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.69.

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.