QV Investors Inc. Sells 45,750 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

QV Investors Inc. decreased its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 60.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,480 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 45,750 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,895,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ROST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. The trade was a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock traded down $0.58 during trading on Thursday, reaching $141.93. 477,106 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,704,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. 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 $46.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $140.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.91.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.94 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Ross Stores's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 25.59%.

Ross Stores 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.