Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Has $33.16 Million Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 8.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 295,714 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 25,602 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned 0.09% of Ross Stores worth $33,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $369,081,000. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Ross Stores by 84.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,742,218 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $550,429,000 after buying an additional 2,173,922 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 279.2% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,831,328 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $194,359,000 after acquiring an additional 1,348,400 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 125.5% in the 2nd quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,208,016 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $247,585,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228,816 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ross Stores by 21.0% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,036,224 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $640,624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048,817 shares during the last quarter. 84.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.07, for a total transaction of $2,381,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 305,425 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,366,954.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ross Stores news, insider Michael K. Kobayashi sold 20,749 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.73, for a total transaction of $2,318,285.77. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 71,413 shares in the company, valued at $7,978,974.49. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.07, for a total value of $2,381,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 305,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,366,954.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 89,948 shares of company stock valued at $10,643,727. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on ROST. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Friday, August 18th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $131.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.38.

Ross Stores Stock Up 7.2 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $128.82 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $131.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $116.40 and a 200-day moving average of $112.48.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The apparel retailer reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 39.34% and a net margin of 8.75%. The firm had revenue of $4.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 5th will be issued a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 4th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.53%.

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 primarily to middle income households; and dd's DISCOUNTS stores sell its products at department and discount stores for households with moderate income.