Achmea Investment Management B.V. Sells 21,665 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 28.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,579 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 21,665 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,975,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,474 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,105 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.6% in the first quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,598 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.1% in the first quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC now owns 9,200 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 29,684 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $4,490,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST stock traded up $1.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $127.90. The company had a trading volume of 4,418,454 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,799,516. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $139.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $41.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.14.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 38.77%. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.59%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total transaction of $1,481,947.60. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,868,364. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.48, for a total transaction of $657,097.28. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 110,365 shares in the company, valued at $14,400,425.20. This trade represents a 4.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,567 shares of company stock valued at $2,812,024 over the last 90 days. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on ROST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $159.53.

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.