Portfolio Design Labs LLC Acquires 3,818 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 32.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,653 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,818 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock opened at $141.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day moving average is $150.75 and its 200-day moving average is $148.01. 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.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly 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. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.06.

Ross Stores 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.