Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 39.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,364 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 6,062 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $130.86. The stock had a trading volume of 3,142,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,812,081. The business's 50 day moving average is $138.39 and its 200-day moving average is $139.60. The company has a market cap of $42.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.11. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ROST. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.94.

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.