Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 14.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,507 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 577 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.4% of Umpqua Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Umpqua Bank's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,134,000 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 added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 933 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $855,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $4,912,000. Plancorp LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,753,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $618,000. Finally, Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC now owns 18,533 shares of the retailer's stock worth $16,980,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $13.54 during trading on Monday, hitting $922.80. The stock had a trading volume of 880,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,818,780. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $987.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $945.45.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 27.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,029.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total value of $3,351,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.