Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Boosts Stock Position in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 374.4% in Q4 to 108,944 shares after adding 85,980 shares, valuing its position at about $19.6 million.
• Ross beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.00 vs. $1.90 and revenue of $6.64 billion (+12.2% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.445 (annualized $1.78, ~0.8% yield).
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares at about $214.91, and insiders have sold 25,756 shares (~$5.52M) in the last 90 days; insiders own 2.20% of the company.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 374.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 108,944 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 85,980 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $19,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $4,790,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 84.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 227,340 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $34,645,000 after purchasing an additional 104,270 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 6.0% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 130,610 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $19,904,000 after purchasing an additional 7,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 7.1% during the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 104,406 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $15,910,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $223.29 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.49 and a 52-week high of $226.63. The business's 50-day moving average price is $207.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.02. The firm has a market cap of $71.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The company had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on ROST. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $199.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $200.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Ross Stores from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.29.

About Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc NASDAQ: ROST is an American off‑price retailer headquartered in Dublin, California, that operates the Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS store formats. The company sells a broad assortment of apparel, footwear, home fashions, accessories and other soft goods, positioning itself as a value-oriented destination for brand‑name and fashion merchandise at reduced prices.

Ross's business model centers on opportunistic buying of excess inventory, closeouts, cancelled orders and overstocks from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers.

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