Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases 45,000 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 311.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,446 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 45,000 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $8,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.2 %

ROST stock traded up $1.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $140.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,653,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,639,384. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company's fifty day moving average price is $133.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $163.60.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of Ross Stores 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950 over the last ninety days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ross Stores from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.67.

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.