Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Holdings Decreased by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 267,403 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 3,150 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.08% of Ross Stores worth $38,859,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing 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. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 41.8% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ROST. StockNews.com raised Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.71.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8 %

ROST opened at $151.56 on Monday. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.19 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $147.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.26.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its 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 net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

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.