Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 205,999 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 2,687 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up approximately 1.3% of Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $31,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ROST. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Ross Stores by 271.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 42,194 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $6,192,000 after purchasing an additional 30,822 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 40.8% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,074 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter worth $278,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 35.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 26.4% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,192 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the firm’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. This trade represents a 57.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. This represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.69.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $154.87 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $145.32 and a 200-day moving average of $145.44. The stock has a market cap of $51.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.53 and a 52 week high of $163.60.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.