Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 525 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,407 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 458.0% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 52.9% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Rock Creek Group LP acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $35,000. Steward Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 164.1% during the third quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 338 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total transaction of $3,056,067.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 114,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,616,788.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $1,567,164.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 62,711 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,806. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 21,056 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total transaction of $3,056,067.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 114,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,616,788.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on ROST shares. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $143.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.21.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded up $1.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $133.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 329,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,972,195. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market cap of $45.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.04. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $151.12. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, March 5th that allows the company to buyback $2.10 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the apparel retailer to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 26.44%.

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.