Fiduciary Trust Co Increases Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Fiduciary Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,757 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,101 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 over the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ross Stores from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.73.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $142.28 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $46.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $134.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.35. 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 quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. On average, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

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.