Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Purchased by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,783 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $5,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Ross Stores by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,760 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 50.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in Ross Stores by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 65,612 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $8,385,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter worth about $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on ROST shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In related news, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total transaction of $971,793.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,607,101.64. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total transaction of $437,131.88. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,169,865.15. The trade was a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,761,212. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.5%

Ross Stores stock opened at $158.34 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.27. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $51.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $161.95.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 37.37%. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.71%.

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.