Ascent Group LLC Has $947,000 Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Ascent Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 25.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,410 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 2,577 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth $328,000. Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $8,516,000. Aurora Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter valued at about $1,476,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter valued at about $630,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 50.9% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 8,149 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after buying an additional 2,750 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $149.04 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $158.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $141.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.95.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, August 18th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.67.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 106,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,149,236.88. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.