Whittier Trust Co. Sells 477 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Whittier Trust Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 39.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 723 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 477 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 262.1% during the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 41.8% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on ROST shares. Guggenheim raised their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America raised their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised shares of Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment 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 MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of ROST opened at $151.80 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $145.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.60, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.08. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $108.35 and a one year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at $48,003,532.29. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.