Voya Investment Management LLC Trims Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Voya Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 282,298 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 14,031 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Ross Stores worth $42,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hahn Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 40.9% during the fourth quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 74,059 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $11,203,000 after purchasing an additional 21,500 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,620,083 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,152,690,000 after buying an additional 807,850 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $269,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position 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 last quarter. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $17,524,000 after purchasing an additional 11,060 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was 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 owns 139,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.0 %

ROST traded up $1.41 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $140.78. 2,165,901 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,661,998. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $133.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.65. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS 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. As a group, equities 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ross Stores from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.87.

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.