Nomura Holdings Inc. Has $1.05 Million Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. has significantly reduced its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. by 71% in the first quarter, now holding 8,247 shares worth approximately $1.05 million.
• Vanguard Group has increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 17%, attaining a total of over 34 million shares valued at approximately $4.36 billion.
• Analysts have mixed views on Ross Stores, with twelve maintaining a "Buy" rating while lowering price targets, with the consensus rating being a "Moderate Buy" at an average target of $160.67.

Nomura Holdings Inc. decreased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 71.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,247 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 20,221 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ross Stores by 274.3% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,466 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $3,096,000 after acquiring an additional 14,998 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 42.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,276,799 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $193,141,000 after purchasing an additional 377,554 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter valued at approximately $328,000. Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,516,000. Finally, Aurora Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at $1,476,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of ROST stock traded down $1.86 on Friday, reaching $150.95. 2,438,398 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,281,008. The company has a market capitalization of $49.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $158.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.58. The business's 50 day moving average price is $140.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.78.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.53 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.59 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.67.

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.