Cwm LLC Buys 4,682 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Cwm LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,907 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,682 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,121,706 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,360,413,000 after buying an additional 4,946,101 shares in the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 59.3% during the 1st quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,055,088 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $518,200,000 after buying an additional 1,509,815 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at about $122,043,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in Ross Stores by 184.4% during the 1st quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,080,532 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $138,081,000 after buying an additional 700,546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,392,475 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $177,944,000 after buying an additional 246,648 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on Ross Stores from $146.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.33.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.7%

Ross Stores stock opened at $156.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.58. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.89. The company has a market cap of $50.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week high of $158.69.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted 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. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The business had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total value of $437,131.88. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares in the company, valued at $13,169,865.15. This represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total value of $971,793.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at $8,607,101.64. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock worth $7,761,212 over the last ninety days. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores 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.