29,632 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Acquired by Trexquant Investment LP

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP invested approximately $3.79 million in Ross Stores, Inc., acquiring 29,632 shares in the first quarter.
• Ross Stores recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.56 per share, which exceeded analyst expectations, while revenue was reported at $5.53 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.1%, set to be paid on September 30th.

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 29,632 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,787,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,932 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Ross Stores by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,474 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Ross Stores by 6.1% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of ROST traded up $2.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $152.81. 2,542,714 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,126,689. The company has a market cap of $49.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week 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 stock's 50-day moving average is $139.38 and its 200-day moving average is $137.61.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.02. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 37.37%. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.59 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.67.

About Ross Stores

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.