XTX Topco Ltd Takes $1.59 Million Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,530 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,593,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $649,318,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 8,209.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $360,204,000 after acquiring an additional 2,352,543 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $230,204,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth $173,329,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 137.7% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $299,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,144,774 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $143.66 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.05. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The firm has a market cap of $47.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. 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) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.87.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total value of $672,979.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 93,126 shares in the company, valued at $11,892,190.20. This trade represents a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was 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 approximately $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.