6,533 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Bought by Pollock Investment Advisors LLC

Pollock Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,533 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $988,000. Ross Stores makes up about 0.8% of Pollock Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position 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 buying 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 $31,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "negative" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective 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. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.40.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ ROST traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $124.60. 4,366,201 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,405,636. 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 firm has a market cap of $41.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $141.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.01. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.77 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

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.