Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Sells 157 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lessened its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,269 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 157 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at $33,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% during 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 purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth about $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $149.15 on Monday. 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 $49.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $150.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, 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, November 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.29.

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.