JLB & Associates Inc. Sells 2,301 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

JLB & Associates Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,980 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 2,301 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores accounts for 2.4% of JLB & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. JLB & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $16,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 372.5% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 36.6% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth about $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total value of $607,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 106,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,149,236.88. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $5,745,246.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 157,153 shares in the company, valued at $22,944,338. This represents a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,283 shares of company stock valued at $6,789,418. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.2%

ROST stock opened at $151.86 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $158.69. The company has a market cap of $49.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.04 and a 200-day moving average of $139.36.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ROST. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.67.

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.