Apollon Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 908 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Western Financial Corp CA increased its stake in Ross Stores by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 5,474 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $795,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2,291.7% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,444 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 7.1% during the second quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,108 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. JLB & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 1.3% in the second quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 125,141 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $18,185,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 4.5% in the second quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 97,669 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $14,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,221 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST remained flat at $147.40 during trading hours on Monday. 1,363,658 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,215,898. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $144.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.03. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.35 and a fifty-two week high of $153.06. The company has a market capitalization of $49.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Barclays raised their price target on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.00.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $130,206.17. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.