Insight Advisors LLC PA Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Insight Advisors LLC PA grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,371 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.6% of Insight Advisors LLC PA’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Insight Advisors LLC PA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the first quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 587 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Affinity Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Affinity Wealth Management LLC now owns 941 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $890,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 280 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at $234,000. Finally, Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at $241,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,010.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $992.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $978.72. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $793.00 and a 52-week high of $1,078.24. The company has a market cap of $448.48 billion, a PE ratio of 59.35, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.78 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total value of $1,034,011.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total transaction of $3,924,280.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,161,193.58. This trade represents a 8.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. DA Davidson upped 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,035.32.

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.