Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Fleming Sells 5,339 Shares of Stock

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $125.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $41.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.01. 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 $122.77 and a 12-month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Members Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $245,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,077,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,226,000. Ascent Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 9,987 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,511,000 after buying an additional 832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.