Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,595 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 97 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $522,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth $5,667,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its position in Ross Stores by 11.7% during the first quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 9,386 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Ross Stores by 20.9% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 41,013 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $6,019,000 after purchasing an additional 7,085 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 2.4% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,417 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth $5,384,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $139.59 on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.06 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $148.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.31 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ROST. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 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 issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.