UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Lowers Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,754,554 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 21,956 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.53% of Ross Stores worth $265,411,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. USS Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 459.3% during the fourth quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 76,070 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $11,509,000 after purchasing an additional 62,470 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,014,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $409,000. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 6,466 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 125.1% in the 4th quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 336,574 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $50,914,000 after buying an additional 187,020 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.53.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $152.68 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $137.38 and its 200 day moving average is $142.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.04, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 in the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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