Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) is Madison Asset Management LLC's 6th Largest Position

Madison Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,607,872 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 86,063 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up 2.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Madison Asset Management LLC owned about 0.49% of Ross Stores worth $205,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 50.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ROST. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $141.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.94.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.3%

ROST stock opened at $135.76 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $44.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.45, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $136.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.38. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 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.

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