Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,654 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 528 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,914,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,101 shares of company stock valued at $2,300,905 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $132.37 on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $136.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $43.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This is a boost 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 1.22%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “negative” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays set a $150.00 price target 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 assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.40.

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.