Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,582 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 3,717 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 14.1% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 783 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 6,286 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $710,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,077,000. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 59,539 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $6,725,000 after acquiring an additional 19,031 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total transaction of $3,056,067.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 114,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,616,788.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total transaction of $3,056,067.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 114,488 shares in the company, valued at $16,616,788.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $1,567,164.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 62,711 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,806. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on ROST shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.21.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $132.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $142.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.12. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $151.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.49 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.04.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 41.15%. The company’s revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, March 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.44%.

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.