China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 2,750 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 50.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,149 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,750 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 73.6% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 474 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $18,930,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 1,945 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 65,646 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $9,930,000 after buying an additional 4,111 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $131.17. 2,171,494 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,809,529. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $138.23 and a 200-day moving average of $139.48. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60. The firm has a market cap of $42.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 9.79%. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $141.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.94.

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.