Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Boosts Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 133,204 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,470 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $20,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Ross Stores by 262.1% during the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 97.8% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total transaction of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ROST. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Ross Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.88.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $3.32 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $139.00. 2,638,190 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,236,658. The company has a market cap of $46.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $147.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.73 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.

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.