Marco Investment Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Marco Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,800 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Marco Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 2,328 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 894 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 40,488 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $6,094,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 46,853 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $6,805,000 after buying an additional 1,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $587,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.5 %

ROST stock opened at $137.89 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $127.53 and a one year high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $145.71 and a 200-day moving average of $147.57.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.07.

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.