Benjamin Edwards Inc. Increases Stock Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 16.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,298 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Ross Stores by 515.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,756,881 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $243,135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471,585 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 68.8% during the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,391,856 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $347,585,000 after purchasing an additional 975,190 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $102,083,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 601,031 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 27.8% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,814,440 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $263,675,000 after purchasing an additional 394,774 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at $48,003,532.29. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of ROST stock opened at $154.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $147.23 and its 200 day moving average is $143.14. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.35 and a 12-month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ROST shares. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.71.

About Ross Stores

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.