Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Holdings Reduced by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP cut its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 56.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,415 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 43,886 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. American International Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 124,424 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $17,219,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969 shares during the last quarter. PGGM Investments boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 724.1% during the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 24,848 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $3,611,000 after purchasing an additional 21,833 shares during the period. Commerce Bank increased its position in Ross Stores by 232.6% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 32,182 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,454,000 after buying an additional 22,506 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in Ross Stores by 1,194.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 411,164 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $56,899,000 after buying an additional 379,398 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter worth approximately $1,483,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $155.25 on Monday. 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 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $146.85 and a 200-day moving average of $142.94.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

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.