Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Position Decreased by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 7.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,110 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 954 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,916,192 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,243,740,000 after buying an additional 346,474 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,931,795 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $682,511,000 after buying an additional 161,202 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,722,885 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $653,600,000 after buying an additional 601,031 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $523,185,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 2.6% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,085,590 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $452,841,000 after buying an additional 78,423 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $130,206.17. Following the sale, the director now owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $140.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,853,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,126,816. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $153.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.74.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.83 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $159.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.06.

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.