Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) is Marshfield Associates' Largest Position

Marshfield Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,914,613 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,655 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores comprises approximately 12.8% of Marshfield Associates' investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Marshfield Associates owned 1.19% of Ross Stores worth $592,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 in the last 90 days. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROST. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.87.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $139.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $45.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $133.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.68. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.63%.

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.

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