F M Investments LLC Has $6.63 Million Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

F M Investments LLC lessened its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 44,055 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 1,671 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 262.1% during the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 97.8% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Loop Capital raised their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.71.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $140.06 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.58. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.50 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 2.27 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.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of Ross Stores 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051 over the last ninety days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.