1,875 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Bought by Fund 1 Investments LLC

Fund 1 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,875 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $284,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $295,857,000 after purchasing an additional 151,255 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $979,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 93,508 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $14,074,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 227.6% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 416 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $142.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.35. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,868,364. This trade represents a 15.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ROST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ross Stores from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup raised Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.73.

Ross Stores Company 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.