8,363 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Purchased by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG purchased a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 8,363 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,265,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. The trade was a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total transaction of $672,979.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 93,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,892,190.20. This represents a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued 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 price target of $160.87.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $137.89 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $133.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.71. 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 company has a market cap of $45.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This is an increase 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 1.17%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

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.

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