Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY Sells 227,218 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY cut its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 26.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 639,392 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 227,218 shares during the quarter. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY owned approximately 0.19% of Ross Stores worth $88,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 919 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 52.9% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 5,309 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Steph & Co. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 2,048 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,021 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ:ROST traded down $3.95 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $135.99. 2,290,332 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,929,880. The firm's 50-day moving average is $145.04 and its 200-day moving average is $134.14. The stock has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $151.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.19. The firm 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%. Ross Stores's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.44%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $143.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.21.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total transaction of $3,056,067.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 114,488 shares in the company, valued at $16,616,788.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $1,567,164.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 62,711 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,806. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total value of $3,056,067.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 114,488 shares in the company, valued at $16,616,788.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178 over the last quarter. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by 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.