Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Diversify Advisory Services LLC

Diversify Advisory Services LLC decreased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 34,603 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 752 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $5,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,916,192 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,243,740,000 after acquiring an additional 346,474 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 11.7% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,310,364 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $481,062,000 after purchasing an additional 347,006 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Ross Stores by 10.3% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,737,042 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $397,747,000 after purchasing an additional 254,720 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 15.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,477,142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $359,991,000 after purchasing an additional 331,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 68.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total transaction of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Down 2.5 %

ROST traded down $3.62 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $139.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 204,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,212,562. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.45 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.50. 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 has a market cap of $46.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The firm 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%. Ross Stores’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.