Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 131.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,875 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 9,595 shares during the period. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hahn Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 40.9% during the fourth quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 74,059 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $11,203,000 after buying an additional 21,500 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,620,083 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,152,690,000 after acquiring an additional 807,850 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $269,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $17,524,000 after buying an additional 11,060 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.87.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total transaction of $657,097.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 110,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. The trade was a 4.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $0.80 during trading on Monday, hitting $138.92. 1,169,157 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,011,811. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The business's 50 day moving average is $133.37 and its 200-day moving average is $142.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $45.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

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.