DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Acquires 2,546 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 36.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,511 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $649,318,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 19,515,891 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,952,170,000 after buying an additional 3,995,760 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 8,209.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $360,204,000 after buying an additional 2,352,543 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $230,204,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 411.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,458,963 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $220,697,000 after buying an additional 1,173,607 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ross Stores from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on 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 equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.73.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $142.28 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $46.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $134.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.31. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares in the company, valued at $7,868,364. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over 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.

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.

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