Mizuho Securities USA LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,993 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 13,245 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.7% of Mizuho Securities USA LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $38,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $4.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $930.26. 1,621,482 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,823,339. The stock has a market cap of $412.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.62, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $697.27 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $987.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $945.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at $38,242,687. This trade represents a 8.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

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.