Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 41,360 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp reduced its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 21.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 155,305 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 41,360 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $23,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 8.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $295,857,000 after buying an additional 151,255 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,894 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth about $481,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 17.9% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 690 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

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Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded up $1.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $126.76. 1,391,156 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,556,179. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The company's 50 day moving average price is $137.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is a positive change 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 other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "negative" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.