Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC Buys 357 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,919 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Ross Stores accounts for approximately 1.4% of Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 8.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 151,255 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 690 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in Ross Stores by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 33,391 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $5,026,000 after purchasing an additional 9,149 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,904 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.4% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 61,535 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $9,262,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were 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 owns 94,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 2.8 %

ROST stock opened at $125.42 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $137.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.81. The firm has a market cap of $41.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.405 dividend. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on ROST. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.