Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by Delta Asset Management LLC TN

Delta Asset Management LLC TN lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,292 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Delta Asset Management LLC TN’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 194.0% during the third quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 13,404 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,573,000 after purchasing an additional 8,845 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $951,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 7,259 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,101,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $937,000. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 3,524 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

COST traded up $0.93 on Wednesday, reaching $801.86. 1,178,997 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,978,616. The company has a market cap of $355.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.66, a PEG ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company’s 50 day moving average is $738.35 and its 200-day moving average is $692.35. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $476.75 and a twelve month high of $806.35.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on COST. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $810.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $696.88.

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.