Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems reduced its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,923 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 316 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,099,000 after buying an additional 1,314 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 20.8% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 11,763 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,770,000 after acquiring an additional 2,022 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 1,958 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 348.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 175,219 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,372,000 after purchasing an additional 136,109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.8 %

ROST stock opened at $136.61 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $147.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $127.53 and a one year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.06.

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.