Savant Capital LLC Increases Position in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 11.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,992 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,028 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,275,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 372.5% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $38,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Carderock Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 106,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,149,236.88. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,169,865.15. The trade was a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,761,212. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, October 31st. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.53.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $162.85 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $52.96 billion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.16. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $165.07.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 37.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Ross Stores 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.