Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Trims Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lessened its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,202 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 18,473 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $14,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. PGGM Investments raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 724.1% during the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 24,848 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $3,611,000 after acquiring an additional 21,833 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in Ross Stores by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 13,124 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 4,228 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 917.2% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 29,498 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $4,440,000 after buying an additional 26,598 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 63,105 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $9,260,000 after buying an additional 18,685 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,737,042 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $397,747,000 after buying an additional 254,720 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores 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 in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 57.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of ROST stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $154.87. 1,323,517 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,333,026. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $51.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $145.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.26.

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 net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. Ross Stores's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, November 18th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.