Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Position Boosted by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 389,657 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,951 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $53,924,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 458.0% in the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Rock Creek Group LP acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST traded up $3.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $130.84. 3,732,548 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,338,168. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $151.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.19. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 26.44%.

Ross Stores declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 5th that permits the company to repurchase $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the apparel retailer to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total transaction of $616,405.52. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,166 shares in the company, valued at $468,219.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.