Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can lowered its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 10.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 482,386 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 53,585 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.15% of Ross Stores worth $73,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 1.9% in the third quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 4.0% in the second quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,197 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,735 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 2.4% during the second quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,673 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of ROST traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $154.89. The company had a trading volume of 2,330,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,337,415. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The firm has a market cap of $51.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $145.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.05.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 57.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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 value of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.69.

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.