Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Purchased by KG&L Capital Management LLC

KG&L Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 12.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,699 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the period. KG&L Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.53.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total transaction of $657,097.28. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 110,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. This trade represents a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total transaction of $672,979.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 93,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,892,190.20. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,567 shares of company stock valued at $2,812,024. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ ROST opened at $127.28 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market cap of $41.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.11. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 9.79%. The company had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Ross Stores’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.59%.

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.