Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 940 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lowered its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,962 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 940 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position 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 period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $152.92 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, 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 value of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. The trade was a 5.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the business’s 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target 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. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.53.

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.