Boston Trust Walden Corp Reduces Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Boston Trust Walden Corp lessened its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 678,686 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 11,284 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $102,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 61,269 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $8,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,678 shares during the last quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth approximately $226,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,825 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the first quarter worth approximately $863,000. Finally, Silverlake Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at $205,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total transaction of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $144.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,565,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,222,831. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $47.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.26, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $149.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.42. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.39 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The business’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.