Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Holdings Lessened by ICW Investment Advisors LLC

ICW Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,088 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 319 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores accounts for 1.2% of ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,629,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the first quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 262.1% in the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 41.8% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ROST. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded down $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $151.57. 139,449 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,242,241. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $146.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.79. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.35 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 24.79%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at $48,003,532.29. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.