Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE Sells 70 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE decreased its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,191 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 70 shares during the quarter. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $33,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $59,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST opened at $150.15 on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.54 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.87.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, November 18th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.06.

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.