Vest Financial LLC Raises Position in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Vest Financial LLC grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 325,291 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 12,618 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $58,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $29,000. City Holding Co. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 1,080.0% in the fourth quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 162.6% in the third 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 during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $226.17 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $213.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $189.69. 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 $72.86 billion, a PE ratio of 34.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.445 per share. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group set a $208.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $214.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.06.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,147.67. The trade was a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over 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.

Ross Stores Company 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.