Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Fiduciary Trust Co

Fiduciary Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 28,757 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $649,318,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 19,515,891 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,952,170,000 after purchasing an additional 3,995,760 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 8,209.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $360,204,000 after buying an additional 2,352,543 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $230,204,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Ross Stores by 411.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,458,963 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $220,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,173,607 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.8 %

ROST stock opened at $142.28 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $134.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The firm has a market cap of $46.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 in the last 90 days. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup raised shares of Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ross Stores from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.73.

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.