Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Teza Capital Management LLC

Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 257.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,348 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 21,864 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up about 0.7% of Teza Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Teza Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, 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 value of $1,481,947.60. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,868,364. This trade represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. The trade was a 5.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 over the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST opened at $152.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $50.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $135.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.405 per share. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 25.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ROST shares. Citigroup raised shares of Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.53.

Ross Stores Company 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.