Qtron Investments LLC Has $4.89 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Qtron Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,338 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 302 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.7% of Qtron Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 5,018 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 53.5% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,878 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,353,000 after purchasing an additional 1,701 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 343,614 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $314,653,000 after purchasing an additional 5,407 shares in the last quarter. Petros Family Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $1,555,000. Finally, NFP Retirement Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. NFP Retirement Inc. now owns 980 shares of the retailer's stock worth $898,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,045.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,024.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the company'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 completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,242,687. This represents a 8.06 % 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 worth $5,215,915 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $15.91 during trading on Monday, reaching $979.32. 2,218,559 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,006,426. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $702.00 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $434.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $982.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $949.81.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion for 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%. Analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.09%.

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.