Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Has $121.38 Million Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. trimmed its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 827,060 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 9,611 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Ross Stores worth $121,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. American International Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 124,424 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $17,219,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Ross Stores by 93.0% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,593 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 7,033 shares during the period. HTLF Bank acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $1,094,000. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in Ross Stores by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 302,277 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $41,832,000 after acquiring an additional 16,167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 232.6% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 32,182 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,454,000 after purchasing an additional 22,506 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Ross Stores from $143.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, June 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.06.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.3 %

Ross Stores stock opened at $144.00 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $139.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.58. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $107.30 and a 52 week high of $151.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.04 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.08. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.83 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $130,206.17. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.