Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lowered its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 10.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 128,949 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 14,738 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $18,925,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $523,185,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $243,135,000 after buying an additional 1,471,585 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,437.1% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,026,367 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $142,039,000 after buying an additional 959,594 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $102,083,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake 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 buying an additional 601,031 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $159.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $130,206.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $134,634.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $142.06 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.54. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $153.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.93, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.81.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.11. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $4.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 11th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

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.