Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stake Raised by Sather Financial Group Inc

Sather Financial Group Inc lifted its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 436,422 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,774 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores accounts for 4.4% of Sather Financial Group Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Sather Financial Group Inc owned about 0.13% of Ross Stores worth $63,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $523,185,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 515.8% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,756,881 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $243,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,585 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,437.1% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,026,367 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $142,039,000 after purchasing an additional 959,594 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $102,083,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,722,885 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $653,600,000 after purchasing an additional 601,031 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Ross Stores stock traded up $2.69 on Friday, reaching $155.21. The stock had a trading volume of 5,097,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,241,586. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $145.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.33. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $130,206.17. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.71.

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.