Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 300 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,902 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 97.8% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. This represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.69.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $156.24 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $145.80 and its 200 day moving average is $146.42.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

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.