B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Decreases Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,111 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 1,250 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 152.9% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 2.5 %

ROST stock opened at $132.37 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $136.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.32. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $43.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during 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%. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group cut 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 research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price 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. One 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.40.

Insider Activity

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total value of $672,979.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 93,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,892,190.20. This trade represents a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. The trade was a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,101 shares of company stock valued at $2,300,905. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Ross Stores

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.