Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,805,427 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 154,486 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned 1.15% of Ross Stores worth $575,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Hahn Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 40.9% during the 4th quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 74,059 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $11,203,000 after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,620,083 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,152,690,000 after purchasing an additional 807,850 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Ross Stores by 22.6% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $17,524,000 after purchasing an additional 11,060 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $165.00 price target (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ross Stores from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total transaction of $657,097.28. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 110,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,400,425.20. This trade represents a 4.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 94,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ ROST traded up $1.94 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $143.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 657,266 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,647,516. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $47.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $133.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.11.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for 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, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 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.