Norinchukin Bank The Grows Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Norinchukin Bank The increased its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 43.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,178 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,944 shares during the quarter. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,474 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 36.6% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 1.0% during the first quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,744 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $145.62 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average is $135.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 38.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.59 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ROST. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Barclays dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.06.

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.