D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $5.66 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,887 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,496 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $5,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ROST. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 458.0% in the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Rock Creek Group LP bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Ross Stores from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ross Stores from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $143.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $1,567,164.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 62,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,806. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST opened at $131.51 on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.66 and a 12-month high of $151.12. The stock has a market cap of $44.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $137.19 and a 200-day moving average of $137.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.19. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.15% and a net margin of 9.20%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 26.44%.

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

Ross Stores 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.