Two Sigma Securities LLC Buys 7,592 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Two Sigma Securities LLC increased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 140.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,992 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,592 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth 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 position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.7 %

ROST traded down $2.33 on Wednesday, hitting $138.45. 1,269,170 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,996,202. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $133.40 and its 200-day moving average is $142.64. The company has a market cap of $45.53 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five 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, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950 in the last 90 days. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.