Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 65.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,075 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 32,601 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 22.0% during the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 11,676 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,490,000 after acquiring an additional 2,109 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.4% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 108,142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $13,797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 7.8% in the second quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,531 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Finally, Hengehold Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $741,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ROST. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $160.00 price target (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total value of $437,131.88. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 88,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,169,865.15. The trade was a 3.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $5,745,246.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 157,153 shares in the company, valued at $22,944,338. The trade was a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 46,283 shares of company stock valued at $6,789,418. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.3%

ROST stock opened at $150.34 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $158.69. The company's 50 day moving average is $147.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.43. The stock has a market cap of $48.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.18.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.02. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 37.37%. The company had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.59 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.71%.

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.

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