Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Position Cut by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 46.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 677 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 592 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $94,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 458.0% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Finally, Rock Creek Group LP bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $1,567,164.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 62,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,806. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.21.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $139.53 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $151.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $145.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.01.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 41.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, March 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 26.44%.

Ross Stores 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.