Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Purchases Shares of 14,016 Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 14,016 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,000.

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

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $130.31 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $135.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.07. The stock has a market cap of $42.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. 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 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup raised Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. The trade was a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.10% 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.