Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $318.18 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 482,032 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,064 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.11% of Costco Wholesale worth $318,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 4,041 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. One Day In July LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. One Day In July LLC now owns 571 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,083,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Beck Bode LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 14,178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,358,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the period. Finally, Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 1,381 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $912,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares in the company, valued at $8,967,534.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,727 shares of company stock worth $2,682,948. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST traded up $0.83 on Wednesday, hitting $723.73. 540,752 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,027,080. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The business’s fifty day moving average is $730.40 and its 200 day moving average is $669.72. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $476.75 and a 52 week high of $787.08. The company has a market capitalization of $320.97 billion, a PE ratio of 47.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 30.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $694.48.

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.