DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Cuts Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 596,656 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 7,005 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.18% of Ross Stores worth $87,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $523,185,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 515.8% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,756,881 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $243,135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471,585 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1,437.1% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,026,367 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $142,039,000 after acquiring an additional 959,594 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $102,083,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,722,885 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $653,600,000 after acquiring an additional 601,031 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $130,206.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,634.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST traded down $2.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $140.24. 2,363,529 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,861,235. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.35 and a fifty-two week high of $153.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.08. The business’s 50 day moving average is $144.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $4.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.83 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ROST. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.06.

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.