NatWest Group plc Boosts Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

NatWest Group plc boosted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,294 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up approximately 1.9% of NatWest Group plc’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. NatWest Group plc’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at $33,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th 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 during the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $142.59 on Friday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $151.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.95. The firm has a market cap of $47.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ROST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.06.

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.