9,734 Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Bought by PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 117,128 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,734 shares during the period. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators’ holdings in Ross Stores were worth $27,338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Ross Stores by 89.2% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,615,682 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,408,148,000 after acquiring an additional 3,118,591 shares during the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,390,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 40.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 17,353 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $3,694,000 after purchasing an additional 5,012 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,867,000. Finally, Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,559,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James Conroy sold 49,205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.48, for a total value of $11,291,563.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,830,408.52. This represents a 26.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,424 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.66, for a total transaction of $1,475,335.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,865,383.90. This trade represents a 11.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. Deutsche Bank reissued a “buy” rating and set a $294.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $265.00 to $258.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $260.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.72.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of ROST opened at $237.24 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $231.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.12. The stock has a market cap of $75.79 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.85. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $157.73 and a 12 month high of $257.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 39.29% and a net margin of 10.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a $0.4450 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.55%.

About Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc. is an off-price retailer operating Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS. Its stores offer name-brand and designer merchandise at discounted prices, with product selection and availability varying by location and season. Ross Dress for Less sells apparel, footwear, accessories, home fashions, furnishings, and other merchandise for the whole family. dd’s DISCOUNTS offers a similar off-price assortment, including clothing, shoes, home goods, and related products. The company traces its origins to a department store founded in San Bruno, California, in 1950.