JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd Has $329,000 Stock Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd lowered its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,174 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ ROST opened at $142.28 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.31. The company has a market capitalization of $46.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROST. Citigroup raised Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ross Stores from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five 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, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total value of $657,097.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 110,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. The trade was a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,868,364. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

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.