Austin Private Wealth LLC Buys 112 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Austin Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 28.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 504 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Steph & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 888.9% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $732.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $324.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $476.75 and a twelve month high of $787.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $724.29 and its 200 day moving average is $642.61.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The business had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.82 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $755.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Northcoast Research cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $585.00 to $630.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $612.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $668.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,721 shares in the company, valued at $4,593,803.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total transaction of $1,700,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,582 shares of company stock valued at $10,736,778 in the last 90 days. 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.