Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 18.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,320 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 19.1% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 662 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Trading Up 2.0 %

ROST opened at $138.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $146.03 and its 200-day moving average is $147.64. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week 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.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.12.

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.