denkapparat Operations GmbH Invests $218,000 in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

denkapparat Operations GmbH bought a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,442 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $295,857,000 after acquiring an additional 151,255 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,894 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $481,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 19.1% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 17.9% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 690 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $125.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $137.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.85. The company has a market cap of $41.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 25.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “negative” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.40.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.