Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Stock Holdings Lifted by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 42.2% during the second quarter, acquiring an additional 82,878 shares, bringing its total to approximately 279,193 shares valued at $35.6 million.
• Insider sales have occurred recently, with CMO Karen Fleming and insider Stephen C. Brinkley collectively selling over 9,000 shares valued at nearly $1.4 million, indicating a slight decrease in their respective positions.
• Analysts have raised price targets for Ross Stores, with the average price target now at $160.67, reflecting a generally positive outlook with the majority rating the stock as a "Moderate Buy."

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 42.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 279,193 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 82,878 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Ross Stores worth $35,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MGO One Seven LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,926,000. Cypress Capital Group boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 18.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 20,039 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,557,000 after purchasing an additional 3,056 shares during the period. Index Fund Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $392,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 41.7% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 15,907 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 4,682 shares during the period. Finally, Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE now owns 32,085 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $4,093,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total transaction of $437,131.88. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares in the company, valued at $13,169,865.15. This represents a 3.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total transaction of $971,793.89. Following the transaction, the insider owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,607,101.64. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock worth $7,761,212 in the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $160.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.67.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.5%

NASDAQ ROST opened at $147.71 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $158.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market cap of $48.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.18. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $148.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.96.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is presently 25.71%.

Ross Stores Company 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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