Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Fleming Sells 2,932 Shares

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total value of $437,131.88. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 88,335 shares in the company, valued at $13,169,865.15. This trade represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $151.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $146.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.39 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.58. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $158.69.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 251.7% during the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 372.5% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ROST shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.67.

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.