D.A. Davidson & CO. Boosts Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,759 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,887,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 262.1% in the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.69.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total transaction of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business’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 owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 57.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock opened at $154.89 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $145.30 and a 200-day moving average of $145.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 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.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 23.15%.

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.