Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $22.43 Million Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA decreased its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 148,275 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 4,909 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $22,430,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Hahn Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 40.9% in 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 last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $269,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 10.6% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 137.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $299,583,000 after buying an additional 1,144,774 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total value of $672,979.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 93,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,892,190.20. This represents a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,101 shares of company stock valued at $2,300,905. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ROST. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "negative" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.00.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock traded down $0.01 on Friday, hitting $131.20. 3,073,807 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,578,322. The stock has a market cap of $43.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $136.29 and a 200-day moving average of $144.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

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.