Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $26.03 Million Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 172,098 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 7,534 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.05% of Ross Stores worth $26,033,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.8 %

Ross Stores stock traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $128.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,660,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,433,196. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The company has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm's 50 day moving average is $139.52 and its 200 day moving average is $145.42.

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Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. On average, 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on ROST. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. The trade was a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.