Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,313,964 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 62,453 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.3% of Alliancebernstein L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.97% of Costco Wholesale worth $3,952,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 61.8% in the fourth quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 2,412 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,210,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 419.2% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 47,480 shares of the retailer's stock worth $43,504,000 after purchasing an additional 38,335 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 68.5% during the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 14,302 shares of the retailer's stock worth $13,104,000 after purchasing an additional 5,814 shares during the period. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 353 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 2,005 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,841,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.
Costco Wholesale Stock Performance
Shares of COST traded up $12.74 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $977.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,619,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,944,225. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $988.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $947.48. The firm has a market cap of $433.84 billion, a PE ratio of 57.42, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.24.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.
Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.09%.
Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale
In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total value of $1,034,011.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,165 shares in the company, valued at $10,495,211.65. The trade was a 8.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total transaction of $830,304.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. This represents a 11.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,600 shares of company stock worth $5,215,915. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,029.00.
Get Our Latest Research Report on COST
About Costco Wholesale
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Free Report)
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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