Boston Partners Purchases 104,463 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,624,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 104,463 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in Ross Stores were worth $245,701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 152.9% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $123.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $40.82 billion, a PE ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.77 and a 1-year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. 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. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued 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 price target of $161.40.

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.