Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Holdings Raised by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,182 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,740 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,961,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 8.3% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,894 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $481,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 17.9% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 690 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “negative” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.40.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $125.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.85. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.