Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR cut its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 23.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,761 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 542 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $225,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.94.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.4%

Ross Stores stock opened at $129.94 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $42.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.11.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.94 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 38.77%. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.59%.

About Ross Stores

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.