Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC trimmed its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 25.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,165 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,525 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,196,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. SRN Advisors LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,823,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Miramar Capital LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Miramar Capital LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 55 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.2 %
Shares of NASDAQ COST traded up $1.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $977.16. 1,779,952 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,034,528. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $966.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $956.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $433.55 billion, a PE ratio of 57.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.95. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $715.32 and a twelve month high of $1,078.24.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. The company had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.02 billion. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 30.36%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
COST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Cfra Research upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,024.03.
View Our Latest Research Report on COST
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This trade represents a 8.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total transaction of $3,924,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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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