Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 14,708 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky trimmed its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 10.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 122,025 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 14,708 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $17,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 154.5% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 308 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST traded down $2.73 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $140.24. 2,363,529 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,861,235. The company has a market cap of $46.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $144.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.90. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.35 and a 52-week high of $153.06.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 11th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ROST. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $159.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.06.

Ross Stores Company 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.