QRG Capital Management Inc. Has $4.55 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,196 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 8,941 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $347,585,000 after acquiring an additional 975,190 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 59.4% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,261,102 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $183,263,000 after acquiring an additional 469,717 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 27.8% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,814,440 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $263,675,000 after acquiring an additional 394,774 shares during the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 24.2% in the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,007,528 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $291,734,000 after acquiring an additional 390,518 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 11.7% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,310,364 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $481,062,000 after acquiring an additional 347,006 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST traded down $3.66 on Wednesday, reaching $138.66. The stock had a trading volume of 3,019,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,238,430. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $147.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.79. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $119.73 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The company has a market cap of $46.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 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 Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group raised 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. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Ross Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.88.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was 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 $16,038,546.36. 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 this link. In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.