Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Purchased by Compass Ion Advisors LLC

Compass Ion Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,360 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Compass Ion Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter worth about $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 262.1% in the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $33,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Loop Capital increased their price target 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 upgraded Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST traded up $0.71 on Friday, hitting $149.90. 4,003,485 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,235,262. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $149.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.26. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.39 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The firm has a market cap of $50.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.