North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH Has $12.07 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH lifted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 94,444 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 632 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up about 2.1% of North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $12,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 21,463 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $3,282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Ross Stores by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,589 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,451,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in Ross Stores by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 52,209 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $7,898,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, C WorldWide Group Holding A S acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,023,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.3%

ROST opened at $127.67 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $140.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market cap of $41.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.14.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.94 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 9.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $141.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares in the company, valued at $7,868,364. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,059 shares of company stock worth $3,768,677 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

About Ross Stores

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.