Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Private Advisory Group LLC

Private Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,668 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,196 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.1% of Private Advisory Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Private Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $21,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,488,203,000 after acquiring an additional 773,651 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,068,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,870,314,000 after acquiring an additional 160,893 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,839,016 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,828,881,000 after acquiring an additional 283,360 shares during the period. Finally, Ascentis Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 103,637.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,500,062 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,549,616,000 after acquiring an additional 2,497,652 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4%

COST stock opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $483.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.06. The business’s 50-day moving average is $963.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $974.45. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,102.84.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.87 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a $30.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,011.00 to $955.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,160.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,015.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,092.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,083.95, for a total transaction of $975,555.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,176,347.10. This represents a 13.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,200 shares of company stock valued at $4,044,632. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

Here are a few of the latest headlines about COST:

• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $1,155 and maintained an Outperform rating, but noted that expectations ahead of earnings remain demanding. Article: Bernstein Makes Surprising Costco Call Before Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: A federal lawsuit alleging misleading discounts presents a potential legal and reputational overhang; the provided report does not detail the allegations or potential exposure. Article: Costco faces federal suit over misleading discounts
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares for about $976,000, reducing her position by 13.64% but retaining 5,698 shares. A single executive sale is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. SEC Form 4 filing

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line. The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.