Trexquant Investment LP Invests $3.79 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 29,632 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,787,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of ROST opened at $147.16 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $138.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.42. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $158.69. The stock has a market cap of $48.13 billion, a PE ratio of 23.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.