Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. slightly boosted its stake in Ross Stores in Q4 and now owns 38,689,669 shares (11.96%) — about $6.97 billion — while institutional investors hold 86.86% of the stock.
• Ross beat quarterly expectations, reporting $2.00 EPS vs. $1.90 expected and $6.64 billion in revenue vs. $6.42 billion expected, with revenue up 12.2% year‑over‑year and strong profitability metrics (ROE 36.7%, net margin 9.43%).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.445 (annualized $1.78, ~0.8% yield) and insiders have sold 25,756 shares in the past 90 days totaling about $5.52 million.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,689,669 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 38,488 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.96% of Ross Stores worth $6,969,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,790,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 84.7% during the 3rd 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 position in shares of Ross Stores by 6.0% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 130,610 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $19,904,000 after purchasing an additional 7,338 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Planning Hawaii Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,542,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,147.67. The trade was a 46.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.0%

ROST stock opened at $226.40 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $124.49 and a one year high of $230.44. The firm has a market cap of $72.93 billion, a PE ratio of 34.25, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.92. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $213.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $189.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group set a $208.00 target price on Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup lifted 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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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