Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY Lowers Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY trimmed its stake in Ross Stores by 1.7%, selling 10,131 shares and leaving it with 579,147 shares worth about $88.26 million (≈0.18% ownership).
• Ross beat quarterly estimates, reporting $2.00 EPS vs. $1.90 expected and $6.64 billion revenue vs. $6.42 billion expected, with revenue up 12.2% year‑over‑year and strong profitability metrics (ROE 36.7%, net margin 9.43%).
• Dividend and analyst outlook: Ross raised its quarterly dividend to $0.445 (ex‑dividend March 13, payable March 31), and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $208.29.

Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY reduced its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 579,147 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 10,131 shares during the quarter. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY owned approximately 0.18% of Ross Stores worth $88,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 27,875 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $3,562,000 after buying an additional 7,951 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 23.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 615 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 11.5% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,992 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 4.3% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,211 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $1,065,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 2,556 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total transaction of $546,753.96. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 103,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,234,874.95. This trade represents a 2.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director owned 2,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $209.84 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.87 billion, a PE ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.97. The business's fifty day moving average price is $195.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $216.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.Ross Stores's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ROST. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, December 1st. Evercore upped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $199.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $208.29.

Ross Stores Company Profile

Ross Stores, Inc NASDAQ: ROST is an American off‑price retailer headquartered in Dublin, California, that operates the Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS store formats. The company sells a broad assortment of apparel, footwear, home fashions, accessories and other soft goods, positioning itself as a value-oriented destination for brand‑name and fashion merchandise at reduced prices.

Ross's business model centers on opportunistic buying of excess inventory, closeouts, cancelled orders and overstocks from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers.

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