Mizuho Securities USA LLC Acquires 9,813 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 45.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,444 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,813 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $295,857,000 after buying an additional 151,255 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. Commerce Bank increased its position in Ross Stores by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 30,788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,634,000 after buying an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 63.1% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 15,120 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,276,000 after buying an additional 5,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,899,271 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $285,859,000 after buying an additional 12,962 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $123.54 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.63. The company has a market capitalization of $40.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.40.

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.