Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Holdings Boosted by TD Asset Management Inc.

TD Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 30.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 850,876 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 198,308 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.26% of Ross Stores worth $128,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Down 2.8 %

ROST stock traded down $3.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $125.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,273,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,499. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $137.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.81. The company has a market capitalization of $41.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a PEG 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.

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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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.405 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were 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 $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced 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. Evercore ISI decreased their target price 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, Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.40.

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.