Cozad Asset Management Inc. Sells 328 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Cozad Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,749 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 328 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.4% of Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $16,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Guerra Pan Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Guerra Pan Advisors LLC now owns 478 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 351.5% in the 2nd quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 5,608 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,552,000 after acquiring an additional 4,366 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 25.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 9,833 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares during the last quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd now owns 1,820 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $713,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $899.01 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $398.42 billion, a PE ratio of 49.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.98. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $871.71 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $927.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $963.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The company had revenue of $86.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.15 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BTIG Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,140.00 to $1,134.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,025.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,025.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total transaction of $3,093,615.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,912,100. This trade represents a 25.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,720 shares of company stock worth $9,010,257. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.