Brown Advisory Inc. Sells 28,906 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Brown Advisory Inc. trimmed its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 34.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,704 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 28,906 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,991,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,474 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,105 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital cut their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $141.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.94.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ ROST traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $131.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,171,499 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,818,327. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $138.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $42.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.11.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 9.79%. The company had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.59%.

About Ross Stores

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.