Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,406 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.7% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth $210,000. Meyer Handelman Co. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 328.3% during the first quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 1,713 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,313 shares in the last quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 37,398 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $27,398,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bennett Selby Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.9% during the first quarter. Bennett Selby Investments LP now owns 815 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $597,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total value of $431,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at $20,560,344. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,560,344. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,224 shares of company stock worth $9,974,973 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5 %

COST stock opened at $889.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $540.23 and a fifty-two week high of $923.83. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $889.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $832.21. The stock has a market cap of $394.14 billion, a PE ratio of 53.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.74 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $676.00 to $755.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $890.07.

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.