Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 16.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 675,190 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 93,941 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Ross Stores worth $101,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.9% in the third quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,197 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,735 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 2.4% during the second quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,673 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Ross Stores stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $156.48. The stock had a trading volume of 3,692,019 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,332,793. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $145.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.88. The firm has a market cap of $51.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.