Virtu Financial LLC Invests $747,000 in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,141 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $747,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ROST. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,916,192 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,243,740,000 after buying an additional 346,474 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Ross Stores by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,722,885 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $653,600,000 after acquiring an additional 601,031 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 11.7% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,310,364 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $481,062,000 after acquiring an additional 347,006 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2.6% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,085,590 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $452,841,000 after purchasing an additional 78,423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 15.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,477,142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $359,991,000 after purchasing an additional 331,996 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $154.44 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $147.18 and its 200-day moving average is $143.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.56. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $51.24 billion, a PE ratio of 26.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 24.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

Insider Activity

In other Ross Stores news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,003,532.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.