iA Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 12,893 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 26.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,759 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 12,893 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $5,409,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock traded down $1.05 on Tuesday, hitting $128.13. 3,660,703 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,433,196. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.42. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $42.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target 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, Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.