Stiles Financial Services Inc Sells 57 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Stiles Financial Services Inc decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,335 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 57 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 2.5% of Stiles Financial Services Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Stiles Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Steph & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $585.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $615.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $580.00 to $670.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $673.36.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded up $6.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $718.59. 1,342,625 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,139,053. The company has a market capitalization of $318.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $476.75 and a 12 month high of $787.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $728.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $651.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted 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 business had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.81 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.68%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total transaction of $1,700,825.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the company’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,182 shares of company stock worth $9,809,558 in the last ninety days. 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.