SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 52,167 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 98.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 733 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 52,167 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $111,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 227.6% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 416 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $139.55 on Thursday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.01. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.