2,913 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Acquired by Stevens Capital Management LP

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,913 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $525,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 7,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at $29,000. City Holding Co. increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 1,080.0% in the 4th quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 162.6% in the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $227.42 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.49 and a 52 week high of $230.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $216.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $191.74.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.445 per share. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This trade represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group set a $208.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.06.

About Ross Stores

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.