Aurora Private Wealth Inc. Makes New Investment in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

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

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,036 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 110,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,400,425.20. This trade represents a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 93,126 shares in the company, valued at $11,892,190.20. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,567 shares of company stock valued at $2,812,024 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on ROST shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Citigroup upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $159.53.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

ROST stock traded down $1.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $127.28. 2,017,604 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,775,292. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.14. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $140.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.21. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 38.77%. The company's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.59%.

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.