Aurora Private Wealth Inc. Invests $1.48 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,549 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,476,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 52,209 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $7,898,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $273,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,815 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,600,567 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $393,388,000 after buying an additional 257,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,661 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $403,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock traded up $1.28 on Friday, reaching $127.90. 4,418,454 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,799,516. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $139.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.21, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.14. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective 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. Citigroup raised shares of Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays reduced their price target on 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 lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $159.53.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total value of $672,979.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 93,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,892,190.20. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the 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 directly owns 110,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. The trade was a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 in the last ninety days. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.