Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc reduced its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 46.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,938 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 5,200 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $894,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 97.8% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at $44,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $153.53. 1,698,006 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,340,639. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $146.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.94 billion, a PE ratio of 24.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. 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, 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. Ross Stores's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ROST. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.