Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Holdings Increased by NBC Securities Inc.

NBC Securities Inc. boosted its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 93,700.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,690 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,685 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total value of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. The trade was a 5.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $161.00 to $141.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $158.67.

Ross Stores Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $143.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,496,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,704,916. The firm has a market cap of $47.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $141.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.98.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.