Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $2.20 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP has acquired 17,229 shares of Ross Stores, Inc., valued at approximately $2.2 million, as part of its first-quarter investment strategy.
• Despite some analysts lowering their ratings for Ross Stores, the company has a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $159.06.
• Ross Stores declared a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 1.1%, which will be paid on September 30th to investors of record by September 9th.

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 17,229 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,202,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,121,706 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $4,360,413,000 after acquiring an additional 4,946,101 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 69.6% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,336,312 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $504,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368,571 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,973,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $122,043,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 16,435.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 806,099 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $103,011,000 after acquiring an additional 801,224 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.1%

ROST stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $147.45. 3,371,596 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,148,442. The firm's 50-day moving average is $136.10 and its 200-day moving average is $137.11. The company has a market cap of $48.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $158.69.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The company's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share 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 paid 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 is Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.00.

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.