Entropy Technologies LP Takes Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 32,402 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,901,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ROST shares. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (down previously from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $142.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $151.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $147.93. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 23.15%.

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.