PGGM Investments Invests $28.12 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

PGGM Investments bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 487,156 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $28,124,000. PGGM Investments owned approximately 0.13% of Ross Stores as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America increased its stake in Ross Stores by 0.7% in the first quarter. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America now owns 1,529 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Windward LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 0.8% in the first quarter. Alpha Windward LLC now owns 2,974 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 0.8% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 5,141 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in Ross Stores by 0.9% in the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 10,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $719,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 24,300 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,403,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.37% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ ROST) traded up 1.489% during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $56.225. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,922,538 shares. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $56.36 and its 200-day moving average is $63.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.262 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.91 and a 12 month high of $69.81.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 18th. The apparel retailer reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.02. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.56% and a net margin of 8.77%. The firm had revenue of $3.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post $3.16 EPS for the current year.

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Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets set a $65.00 price objective on Ross Stores and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 19th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, May 22nd. Jefferies Group LLC reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $63.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $70.00 price objective on Ross Stores and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.41.

In related news, Director Sharon D. Garrett sold 16,130 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.23, for a total transaction of $1,019,899.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $314,063.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Company Profile

Ross Stores, Inc and its subsidiaries operate two brands of off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores-Ross Dress for Less (Ross) and dd’s DISCOUNTS. The Company is the off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States, with 1,340 locations in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Guam, as of January 28, 2017.