Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Cuts Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP decreased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,146 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 20,471 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.7% of Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $122,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $72,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.7 %

COST traded up $13.39 on Friday, hitting $809.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,621,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,970,665. The stock has a market capitalization of $359.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.96, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $742.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $695.50. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $476.75 and a 12-month high of $816.87.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. Analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.35%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were 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 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 corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on COST shares. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $696.88.

Costco Wholesale 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.