14,016 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Acquired by Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 14,016 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,120,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hahn Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 40.9% in the fourth quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 74,059 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $11,203,000 after buying an additional 21,500 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $269,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $17,524,000 after purchasing an additional 11,060 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 137.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $299,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,144,774 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $137.32. The company had a trading volume of 1,792,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,628,833. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $134.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.35. The company has a market cap of $45.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.64, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

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Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. UBS Group cut their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ross Stores from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % 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 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.