Resonant Capital Advisors LLC Sells 337 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Resonant Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,649 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 337 shares during the quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 302,277 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $41,832,000 after purchasing an additional 16,167 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $503,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,291,000. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 4.7% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 673,713 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $76,096,000 after purchasing an additional 30,056 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $8,322,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total transaction of $616,405.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $468,219.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total value of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total transaction of $616,405.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $468,219.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.2 %

ROST opened at $133.34 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $143.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market cap of $44.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.04. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $151.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.19. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 41.15%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.10 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel retailer to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.21.

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.