Insider Selling: Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Insider Sells $971,793.89 in Stock

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) insider Stephen Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total transaction of $971,793.89. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,607,101.64. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of ROST stock opened at $147.71 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $158.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $148.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.96.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.59 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aspect Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% in the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 50.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the first quarter worth $29,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 36.6% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.