Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 43.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,747 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,030 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $649,318,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 8,209.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $360,204,000 after acquiring an additional 2,352,543 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $230,204,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $173,329,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 137.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $299,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,144,774 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.9 %

ROST stock traded up $2.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $141.51. 4,388,458 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,653,630. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $46.53 billion, a PE ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.18.

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Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total value of $657,097.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 110,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. This represents a 4.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,868,364. This represents a 15.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 price target (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.67.

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.