Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Position Increased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 61,535 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 835 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $9,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ROST. PGGM Investments boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 724.1% in the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 24,848 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $3,611,000 after acquiring an additional 21,833 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 47.5% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 13,124 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 4,228 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 917.2% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 29,498 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,440,000 after buying an additional 26,598 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Ross Stores by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,737,042 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $397,747,000 after buying an additional 254,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 7.8% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 144,310 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $21,720,000 after buying an additional 10,384 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.0 %

ROST stock opened at $154.87 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $51.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.44.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion during 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,694,665.26. This represents a 57.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. This represents a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores 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.