Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Bought by Samlyn Capital LLC

Key Points

• Samlyn Capital LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. by 13.4%, acquiring 129,850 shares to hold a total of 1,100,038 shares, making it the 13th largest holding in their portfolio.
• Ross Stores reported earnings of $1.56 EPS for the last quarter, slightly exceeding analysts' expectations, while revenue rose by 4.6% year-over-year to $5.53 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.1%, with a dividend payout ratio of 25.71%.

Samlyn Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 13.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,100,038 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 129,850 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up approximately 2.1% of Samlyn Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Samlyn Capital LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Ross Stores worth $140,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 0.4% during the first quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,458 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,359,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 3.8% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,932 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Ross Stores by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,474 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ross Stores by 6.1% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,280 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 106,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,149,236.88. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of ROST traded down $2.53 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $149.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,863,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,287,849. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $158.69. The stock has a market cap of $48.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company's 50 day moving average is $141.22 and its 200 day moving average is $137.95.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is 25.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $160.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.67.

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.