Eukles Asset Management Sells 135 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Eukles Asset Management lessened its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,881 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 135 shares during the quarter. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $132.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,127,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,946,017. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $144.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.41. The company has a market capitalization of $44.62 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $151.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.81 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 41.15%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 26.44%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $1,567,164.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 62,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,806. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, CMO Brian R. Morrow sold 10,734 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $1,567,164.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 62,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,806. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Larree M. Renda sold 4,168 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.89, for a total transaction of $616,405.52. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,166 shares in the company, valued at $468,219.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,097 shares of company stock worth $10,396,178. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.