Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Reduces Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc trimmed its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,267 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 31,380 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $21,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Ross Stores from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ross Stores from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total transaction of $657,097.28. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 110,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. This trade represents a 4.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8 %

ROST stock opened at $142.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. 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 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $134.02 and its 200 day moving average is $142.33.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

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