Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Invests $32.71 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 216,200 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $32,705,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Ross Stores as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores by 63.3% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 41,717 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $6,311,000 after acquiring an additional 16,171 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its position in Ross Stores by 175.7% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 92,046 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $13,924,000 after purchasing an additional 58,655 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 102,938 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $15,571,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. Carroll Investors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $360,000. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,153,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 3.4 %

NASDAQ:ROST traded down $4.78 on Monday, reaching $134.85. The stock had a trading volume of 666,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,655,182. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $133.48 and a 200 day moving average of $142.81. The stock has a market cap of $44.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. On average, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ROST shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ross Stores from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total value of $657,097.28. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 110,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. The trade was a 4.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950 over the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.