AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. Sells 395 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,160 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 395 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up about 1.0% of AllGen Financial Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 919 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,133 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $710,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 52.9% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.6% during the third quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 5,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 961 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 2.5 %

ROST stock traded up $3.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $130.84. The company had a trading volume of 3,732,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,338,168. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $141.16 and a 200 day moving average of $136.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $151.12. The company has a market capitalization of $44.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.06.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 26.44%.

Ross Stores announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.10 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel retailer to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Ross Stores from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the 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 owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total transaction of $3,056,067.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 114,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,616,788.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.