Simplicity Solutions LLC Buys 176 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Simplicity Solutions LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,498 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $761,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at about $87,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at about $200,000. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 20,004 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 1,085 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 12,174 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 163,788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $14,826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $133.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $45.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $151.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $144.69 and a 200-day moving average of $134.44.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) 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. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 26.44%.

Ross Stores declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.21.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Michael K. Kobayashi sold 13,860 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.46, for a total value of $2,043,795.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,091,941.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

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.