Banco Santander S.A. Sells 4,816 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Banco Santander S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 56.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,659 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 4,816 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $468,000 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 boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $159.06.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $141.97 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $46.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $134.25 and a 200-day moving average of $137.31.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 9.79%. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 25.59%.

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.

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