Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Fleming Sells 5,270 Shares

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 93,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,892,190.20. This trade represents a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Karen Fleming also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 17th, Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of Ross Stores stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock traded down $2.43 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $127.88. 4,744,755 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,602,741. 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 cap of $42.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $135.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.80.

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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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "negative" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.00.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in 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 period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

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.