Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. reduced its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,923 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 1,976 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $7,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 50.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $131.17 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $138.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.27. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Ross Stores's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $141.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, 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 research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $158.94.

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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