Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 21.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 728,828 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 130,828 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $105,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 262.1% during the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 41.8% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the company’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 value of $2,266,099.14. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $153.17 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.35 and a 12 month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

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.