Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Trims Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,004 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 13,581 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $11,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Ross Stores by 64.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $581,373,000 after buying an additional 1,507,922 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Ross Stores by 137.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $299,583,000 after buying an additional 1,144,774 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Ross Stores by 4,787.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 629,744 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $94,783,000 after buying an additional 616,860 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,732,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 478.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 400,204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $60,235,000 after purchasing an additional 331,007 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $136.45 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.53 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.02 billion, a PE ratio of 21.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $147.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Ross Stores Company 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.