National Pension Service Grows Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 39.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,260,515 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 358,981 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $190,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $138.78 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $147.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.84. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $127.53 and a one year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10.

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.