Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by APG Asset Management N.V.

APG Asset Management N.V. lowered its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 26.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,703 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 14,900 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $5,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 262.1% in the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 41.8% in the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” 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 report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.71.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,694,665.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock opened at $151.56 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $147.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.26. The firm has a market cap of $50.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.56. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.19 and a 1 year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued 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 business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.79%.

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.