Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Trims Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,004 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 13,581 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $11,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 662 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on ROST. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (down from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.4 %

ROST stock opened at $136.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $147.36 and a 200 day moving average of $147.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.02 billion, a PE ratio of 21.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.53 and a 52 week high of $163.60.

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.