Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Raises Stock Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 311.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 59,446 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,000 shares during the quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $8,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $130.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $135.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.03. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “negative” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.00.

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.