Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Sells 4,196 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC cut its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 179,693 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 4,196 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Ross Stores worth $27,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 262.1% during the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 97.8% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $156.36 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.44. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.87 billion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 57.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.