Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,708 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 932 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the first quarter worth about $333,000. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,417 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,382,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 37,077 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $5,442,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 2.7% in the first quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 4,032 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $592,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in Ross Stores by 11.0% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,200 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $140.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.72. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $119.73 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th 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, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.71%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at $48,003,532.29. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.88.

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.