Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 93.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,593 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 7,033 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,133 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.6% during the third quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 5,309 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 961 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was 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 $468,219.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the firm'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 $278,257.32. 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. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Ross Stores from $144.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.11.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.64 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $132.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,802,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,078,046. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $151.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50 day moving average is $140.85 and its 200-day moving average is $136.18.

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

Ross Stores declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.10 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 26.44%.

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.