Heartland Bank & Trust Co Has $312,000 Stock Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Heartland Bank & Trust Co lowered its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,076 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 77 shares during the period. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $312,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. RFG Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth $26,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 6.4% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 61,269 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $8,992,000 after buying an additional 3,678 shares during the period. Lincoln Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at $201,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at $226,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $145.24 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.39. The stock has a market cap of $48.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.09. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.39 and a 52 week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted 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. 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total transaction of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on ROST. StockNews.com upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Loop Capital upped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.