Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,995 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 894 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 2,328 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 7.8% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 144,310 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $21,720,000 after purchasing an additional 10,384 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 7.3% in the third quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 104,789 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $15,772,000 after purchasing an additional 7,120 shares during the period. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 5,129 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $772,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.2 %

ROST stock opened at $142.32 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $147.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.73 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The company has a market cap of $47.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 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 approximately $16,038,546.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, 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 approximately $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In 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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.88.

Ross Stores 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.