Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Windward Capital Management Co. CA

Windward Capital Management Co. CA decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 11.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,312 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 306 shares during the period. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Hahn Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 33.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 79,198 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $11,509,000 after purchasing an additional 19,769 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 83.7% during the second quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 90,948 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $13,217,000 after buying an additional 41,434 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 68.8% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,391,856 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $347,585,000 after acquiring an additional 975,190 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores by 66.2% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,127 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $3,506,000 after acquiring an additional 9,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,741 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,416,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores 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 transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of ROST opened at $150.53 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 firm has a market cap of $50.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $146.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.83. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.35 and a 12 month 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 the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective 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 raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.71.

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.