Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale reduced its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 603,661 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 21,718 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.18% of Ross Stores worth $82,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 458.0% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Finally, Rock Creek Group LP bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total transaction of $616,405.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $468,219.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total value of $616,405.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $468,219.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $139.53. 1,524,270 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,039,736. The company has a market cap of $46.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.04. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $151.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $145.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.77.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to reacquire up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 26.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.21.

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.