10,389 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Purchased by Stevens Capital Management LP

Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 10,389 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,438,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 52.9% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 458.0% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Rock Creek Group LP bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Steward Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 164.1% during the 3rd quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 338 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total value of $616,405.52. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $468,219.74. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total value of $616,405.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $468,219.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.46 on Friday, reaching $133.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,899,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,992,449. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $151.12. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $142.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.12. The firm has a market cap of $44.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.77.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 41.15%. The business’s revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 26.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Ross Stores from $144.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.21.

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.