Willis Investment Counsel Buys 3,816 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Willis Investment Counsel increased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 8.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,060 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,816 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $11,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Net Worth Advisory Group raised its position in Ross Stores by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,047 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 44,375 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $10,357,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 26.4% in the third quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter worth $533,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,297 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,703,000 after buying an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ROST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $294.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $290.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $262.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,424 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.66, for a total value of $1,475,335.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,865,383.90. This trade represents a 11.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James Conroy sold 49,205 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.48, for a total value of $11,291,563.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,830,408.52. The trade was a 26.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $1.83 on Tuesday, hitting $236.83. The company had a trading volume of 567,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,620,039. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.87 and a 1 year high of $257.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.83.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 39.29% and a net margin of 10.85%. The business’s revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a dividend of $0.4450 per share. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.55%.

About Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc is an off-price apparel and home fashion retailer headquartered in Dublin, California. The company operates primarily through its Ross Dress for Less stores, which offer branded and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home merchandise at discounts to regular department and specialty store prices.

Ross Stores also operates dd’s DISCOUNTS, a chain focused on value-oriented apparel, accessories, footwear, and home products. Both retail formats generally purchase merchandise opportunistically from manufacturers, department stores, and other suppliers, allowing the company to offer changing assortments and discounted prices.

Founded in 1950, Ross Stores serves customers across the United States through its store network and e-commerce presence.