Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Has $11.35 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV raised its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,213 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,918 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $11,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 28,468 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $4,306,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 244.1% during the 4th quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 5,124 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 3,635 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its position in Ross Stores by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 83,619 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $12,649,000 after purchasing an additional 2,385 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 95,881 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $14,503,000 after purchasing an additional 37,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP grew its position in Ross Stores by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 802,387 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $121,377,000 after purchasing an additional 203,692 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on ROST. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.53.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $152.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,064,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,647,854. The company has a market cap of $50.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 business's 50-day moving average is $135.64 and its 200-day moving average is $142.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is 25.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11% 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 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

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.