Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,739,175 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 252,118 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.7% of Geode Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.19% of Costco Wholesale worth $8,901,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. United Bank grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.5% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 5,962 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,285,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 182.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 409 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $610,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 530.8% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 70,604 shares of the retailer's stock worth $62,720,000 after acquiring an additional 59,411 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded up $3.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $968.24. The stock had a trading volume of 2,360,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,169,688. The company has a 50 day moving average of $988.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $947.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $429.59 billion, a PE ratio of 56.74, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $702.00 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.09%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,445,926.72. This represents a 11.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total transaction of $1,034,011.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This represents a 8.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,215,915 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Loop Capital cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

Costco Wholesale Profile

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.