3,400 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Purchased by United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund acquired a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,400 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $514,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $295,857,000 after acquiring an additional 151,255 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,894 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth $481,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in Ross Stores by 19.1% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 17.9% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 690 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, 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 transaction of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $127.79 on Tuesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $137.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $144.59. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $42.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. As a group, research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores's payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a "negative" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.