Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Has $20.10 Million Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec reduced its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. by 1.3%, owning 157,256 shares worth approximately $20.1 million after selling 2,144 shares in the first quarter.
• Ross Stores reported $1.56 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, slightly exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenues of $5.53 billion, a 4.6% increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share, translating to an annual yield of 1.1%, set to be paid on September 30th to shareholders of record from September 9th.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec decreased its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,256 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 2,144 shares during the quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $20,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 50.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of ROST traded down $1.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $150.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,438,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,281,008. The company's 50 day moving average is $140.36 and its 200 day moving average is $137.78. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $158.69. The stock has a market cap of $49.37 billion, a PE ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.15. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.02. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.67.

Ross Stores 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.