Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stake Raised by PYA Waltman Capital LLC

PYA Waltman Capital LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 128,540 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,861 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores accounts for 6.3% of PYA Waltman Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. PYA Waltman Capital LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $19,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position 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 buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ross Stores by 97.8% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ROST shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America upped their price objective 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 decreased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised shares of Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.69.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $156.48 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.10. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $145.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.25.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Ross Stores’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.