Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,875 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 7,377 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $12,990,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in Ross Stores by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,474 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 662 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,105 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,983 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,895 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, 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. The trade was a 5.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was 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 approximately $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock traded down $1.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,260,481 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,712,895. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $140.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.91. The stock has a market cap of $46.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.44, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $163.60.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.59%.

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.