Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC decreased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,275 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 549 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 19.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,121,854 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $465,563,000 after buying an additional 673,670 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 11,176.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 557,158 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $77,105,000 after purchasing an additional 552,217 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,280,052 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $144,582,000 after purchasing an additional 547,416 shares in the last quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 95.3% during the 4th quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. now owns 909,527 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $125,869,000 after purchasing an additional 443,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 151.3% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 730,754 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $82,539,000 after buying an additional 439,950 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $1,567,164.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 62,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,806. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at $278,257.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Up 2.5 %

ROST stock opened at $130.84 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $44.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.06. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $151.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.19. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, March 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.10 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to repurchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 26.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Loop Capital increased their target price on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.21.

About Ross Stores

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.