Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases 52,208 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 81.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 116,675 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,208 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $16,955,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth about $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $146.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $48.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $148.20 and a 200 day moving average of $143.37. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.02 and a 12 month 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued 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 yield of 1.00%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. 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. Bank of America boosted 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. Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.71.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, 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 transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business’s 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 $16,038,546.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.