Gotham Asset Management LLC Has $2.62 Million Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Gotham Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 68.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,332 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 37,072 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST traded up $1.34 on Monday, hitting $154.26. 1,896,471 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,644,849. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $135.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.65.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,868,364. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Ross Stores from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.53.

Ross Stores Company 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.