Raymond James & Associates Purchases 7,331 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 2.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 284,978 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,331 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned approximately 0.09% of Ross Stores worth $42,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,916,192 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $4,243,740,000 after buying an additional 346,474 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,310,364 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $481,062,000 after purchasing an additional 347,006 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Ross Stores by 10.3% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,737,042 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $397,747,000 after purchasing an additional 254,720 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 15.5% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,477,142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $359,991,000 after purchasing an additional 331,996 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 68.8% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,391,856 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $347,585,000 after purchasing an additional 975,190 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock opened at $145.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $149.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.37. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $112.39 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ROST. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.71.

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.