Sather Financial Group Inc Sells 4,662 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Sather Financial Group Inc has reduced its shareholding in Ross Stores, Inc by 1.1%, owning 420,503 shares after selling 4,662 shares in the second quarter.
• CEO James Grant Conroy and CMO Karen Fleming each sold significant portions of their shares, with Conroy selling 39,351 shares for $5.7 million, which reflects a 20.03% decrease in his ownership.
• Ross Stores has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.1%, and has a payout ratio of 25.71%.

Sather Financial Group Inc reduced its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 1.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 420,503 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 4,662 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores comprises 3.2% of Sather Financial Group Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Sather Financial Group Inc owned approximately 0.13% of Ross Stores worth $53,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $5,745,246.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total value of $437,131.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,169,865.15. This represents a 3.21% 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 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $147.71 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $158.69. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The business had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.59 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 25.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $160.00 target price (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.67.

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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