Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Acquired by WCM Investment Management LLC

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lowered its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 209,700 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 6,000 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.2% of Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $138,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded down $1.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $731.31. 1,481,799 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,762,592. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $476.75 and a 1 year high of $787.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $324.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.83, a P/E/G ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $730.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $656.07.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. Costco Wholesale's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Raymond James increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $580.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $612.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $680.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $640.00 to $725.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $691.28.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Costco Wholesale

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total value of $1,700,825.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,910 shares in the company, valued at $4,020,750.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total transaction of $1,700,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares in the company, valued at $4,020,750.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $685.93, for a total value of $5,487,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 216,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $148,306,297.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 14,182 shares of company stock worth $9,809,558. 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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