Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,334 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 315 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.8% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its stake in Ross Stores by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in Ross Stores by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc raised its position in Ross Stores by 13.2% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $140.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $46.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $146.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.77. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.53 and a fifty-two 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ROST. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (down previously from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Eight equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.