Meeder Asset Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 15.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,473 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 20,337 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up approximately 1.2% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $17,229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,440,272 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $517,795,000 after purchasing an additional 129,908 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 10.3% in 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 during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,477,142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $359,991,000 after buying an additional 331,996 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 68.8% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,391,856 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $347,585,000 after buying an additional 975,190 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,131,529 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $312,756,000 after purchasing an additional 69,085 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.4 %

ROST stock traded down $2.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $139.26. The company had a trading volume of 2,583,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,273,287. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $46.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $145.76 and a 200 day moving average of $144.48. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. This trade represents a 57.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ROST. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.50.

Ross Stores 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.