Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2,291.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,444 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $505,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $523,185,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 515.8% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,756,881 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $243,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,585 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1,437.1% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,026,367 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $142,039,000 after purchasing an additional 959,594 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $102,083,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,722,885 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $653,600,000 after purchasing an additional 601,031 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ROST shares. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $176.00 to $173.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.89.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of ROST traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $147.40. The company had a trading volume of 3,117,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,221,293. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $153.06. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $144.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.02. The stock has a market cap of $49.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.86, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.08.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.83 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 11th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.