Aviva PLC Acquires 217,018 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Aviva PLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1,738.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 229,498 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 217,018 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned 0.07% of Ross Stores worth $29,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 17.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,121,706 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,360,413,000 after acquiring an additional 4,946,101 shares in the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 59.3% in the 1st quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,055,088 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $518,200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,509,815 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth about $122,043,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 184.4% in the 1st quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,080,532 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $138,081,000 after purchasing an additional 700,546 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 374.5% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 411,404 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $52,487,000 after purchasing an additional 324,693 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total transaction of $437,131.88. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 88,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,169,865.15. This trade represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $5,745,246.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 157,153 shares in the company, valued at $22,944,338. The trade was a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock worth $7,761,212. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.73.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $161.08 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $153.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.34. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $165.07.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.02. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The company had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.71%.

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.