Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by ICW Investment Advisors LLC

ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,391 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 148 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores comprises about 1.2% of ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” 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 note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.40.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $123.54 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $40.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

About Ross Stores

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.