Dupree Financial Group LLC Makes New Investment in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 43.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,393 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 7,165 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,634,627 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,941,708,000 after buying an additional 1,315,174 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 118,320.2% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,396,524 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,376,513,000 after acquiring an additional 7,390,278 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,134,947 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,901,040,000 after purchasing an additional 210,586 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,328,844,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 61,693.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,105,124 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,049,630,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100,099 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 216,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $148,306,297.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the business's 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 owns 12,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $685.93, for a total transaction of $5,487,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 216,212 shares in the company, valued at $148,306,297.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,727 shares of company stock valued at $8,170,388. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST traded down $1.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $709.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,190,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,668,139. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $787.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $730.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $661.22. The stock has a market cap of $314.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.40, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 posted $3.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on COST. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Gordon Haskett downgraded Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating and set a $775.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $691.28.

Read Our Latest Report on Costco Wholesale

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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Before you consider Costco Wholesale, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Costco Wholesale wasn't on the list.

While Costco Wholesale currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

Click the link below and we'll send you MarketBeat's guide to pot stock investing and which pot companies show the most promise.

Get This Free Report