Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Takes Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,169,914 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $176,973,000. Ross Stores comprises approximately 0.7% of Alyeska Investment Group L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. owned approximately 0.35% of Ross Stores as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Thursday, hitting $143.44. 1,104,702 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,646,717. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a market cap of $47.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $133.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. The trade was a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,868,364. This trade represents a 15.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ROST. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup raised Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.73.

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.