Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,003 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 993 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $21,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 262.1% in the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 41.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ROST shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.71.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,003,532.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $151.13 on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.35 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $50.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $146.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

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.