Danske Bank A S Grows Position in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Danske Bank A S raised its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 151,470 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,868 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $27,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ROST. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $4,790,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 84.7% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 227,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,645,000 after acquiring an additional 104,270 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 6.0% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 130,610 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $19,904,000 after acquiring an additional 7,338 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Planning Hawaii Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $1,542,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $228.71 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.68 billion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $215.51 and a 200-day moving average of $190.99. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.49 and a 52 week high of $230.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The business’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.445 dividend. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $214.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price target on Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,935,577.48. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Profile

Ross Stores, Inc (NASDAQ: ROST) is an American off‑price retailer headquartered in Dublin, California, that operates the Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS store formats. The company sells a broad assortment of apparel, footwear, home fashions, accessories and other soft goods, positioning itself as a value-oriented destination for brand‑name and fashion merchandise at reduced prices.

Ross’s business model centers on opportunistic buying of excess inventory, closeouts, cancelled orders and overstocks from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers.