Family Firm Inc. Purchases Shares of 303 Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 303 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. American International Group Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $17,219,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments increased its stake in Ross Stores by 724.1% during the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 24,848 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $3,611,000 after buying an additional 21,833 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 93.0% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,593 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,019,000 after buying an additional 7,033 shares during the period. Commerce Bank lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 232.6% during the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 32,182 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,454,000 after buying an additional 22,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its position in Ross Stores by 2.9% in the 4th 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. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST stock traded up $2.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $155.21. The stock had a trading volume of 5,124,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,241,586. The company has a market cap of $51.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 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. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.35 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.33.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.79%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $130,206.17. Following the transaction, the director now owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.71.

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.