Burney Co. Sells 342 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Burney Co. decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 342 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American International Group Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 124,424 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $17,219,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 93.0% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,593 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 7,033 shares during the period. HTLF Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,094,000. Commerce Bank increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 232.6% during the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 32,182 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,454,000 after buying an additional 22,506 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 782,739 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $108,323,000 after buying an additional 21,984 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST traded down $2.73 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $140.24. The company had a trading volume of 2,363,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,861,235. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of $144.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.90. The company has a market cap of $46.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.08. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $153.06.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.11. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $4.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 11th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 11th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $130,206.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $134,634.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.06.

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.