Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 945,598 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 282,632 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $143,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $140.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $46.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $133.40 and a 200-day moving average of $142.64. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Equities analysts predict 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 given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other 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 transaction of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on 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. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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, April 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.87.

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.