Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Howe & Rusling Inc.

Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,252 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $129.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $138.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.03. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.63%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. The trade was a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.40.

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.