Stevens Capital Management LP Increases Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Truist Financial Corp trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 331,886 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 38,839 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned 0.07% of Costco Wholesale worth $219,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 61,693.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,105,124 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,049,630,000 after buying an additional 3,100,099 shares during the last quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $390,630,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $297,915,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,088,673 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,180,016,000 after purchasing an additional 323,346 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,161,630 shares of the retailer's stock worth $656,274,000 after purchasing an additional 300,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST traded up $7.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $729.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,523,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,055,590. The stock has a market capitalization of $323.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $730.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $666.04. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $476.75 and a 52 week high of $787.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 26.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on COST. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $680.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $694.48.

View Our Latest Analysis on COST

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,395 shares in the company, valued at $8,967,534.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,682,948 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.

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