Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Holdings Raised by Junto Capital Management LP

Junto Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 802,387 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 203,692 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up 2.3% of Junto Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Junto Capital Management LP owned 0.24% of Ross Stores worth $121,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 93,508 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $14,074,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,081 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $617,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 71,933 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $10,881,000 after acquiring an additional 3,981 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 5,880 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $892,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on 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, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.53.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $150.66. The stock had a trading volume of 2,491,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,650,567. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $134.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

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.