76,850 Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 349,867 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 76,850 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.11% of Ross Stores worth $81,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 402.4% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Ross Stores from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ross Stores from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $262.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.06.

Ross Stores Trading Up 6.1%

Ross Stores stock opened at $245.74 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $230.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $222.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.85. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $157.73 and a 52-week high of $257.00.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.71. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 39.29% and a net margin of 10.85%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were paid a dividend of $0.4450 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.55%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CEO James Conroy sold 49,205 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.48, for a total value of $11,291,563.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 134,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,830,408.52. This trade represents a 26.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen Brinkley sold 6,424 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.66, for a total transaction of $1,475,335.84. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,665 shares in the company, valued at $11,865,383.90. This represents a 11.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

About Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc is an off-price apparel and home fashion retailer headquartered in Dublin, California. The company operates primarily through its Ross Dress for Less stores, which offer branded and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home merchandise at discounts to regular department and specialty store prices.

Ross Stores also operates dd’s DISCOUNTS, a chain focused on value-oriented apparel, accessories, footwear, and home products. Both retail formats generally purchase merchandise opportunistically from manufacturers, department stores, and other suppliers, allowing the company to offer changing assortments and discounted prices.

Founded in 1950, Ross Stores serves customers across the United States through its store network and e-commerce presence.