Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Stock: Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Grows Position

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 732,995 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 144,963 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $171,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,938,711,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,024,203,000. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,937,995,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 89.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,615,682 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,408,148,000 after buying an additional 3,118,591 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $476,200,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $237.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $75.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.61. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $157.73 and a one year high of $257.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $231.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 39.29% and a net margin of 10.85%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were paid a dividend of $0.4450 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ROST. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $276.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $265.00 to $258.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $277.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Conroy sold 49,205 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.48, for a total transaction of $11,291,563.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,830,408.52. The trade was a 26.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,424 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.66, for a total transaction of $1,475,335.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,665 shares in the company, valued at $11,865,383.90. This represents a 11.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Profile

Ross Stores, Inc. is an off-price retailer operating Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS. Its stores offer name-brand and designer merchandise at discounted prices, with product selection and availability varying by location and season. Ross Dress for Less sells apparel, footwear, accessories, home fashions, furnishings, and other merchandise for the whole family. dd’s DISCOUNTS offers a similar off-price assortment, including clothing, shoes, home goods, and related products. The company traces its origins to a department store founded in San Bruno, California, in 1950.