2,427 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by Point Windward Advisors Inc.

Point Windward Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 400.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,033 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,427 shares during the quarter. Point Windward Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. State Street Corp increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,359,224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,749,362 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $7,488,203,000 after purchasing an additional 773,651 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $2,870,314,000 after purchasing an additional 160,893 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,839,016 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,828,881,000 after purchasing an additional 283,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,362,188,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,083.95, for a total value of $975,555.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,698 shares in the company, valued at $6,176,347.10. The trade was a 13.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,200 shares of company stock worth $4,044,632 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $963.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $974.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,102.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $483.99 billion, a PE ratio of 52.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $30.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Recent Costco Wholesale Headlines

Here are a few of the latest headlines about COST:

• Positive Sentiment: Costco announced a $30-per-share special dividend—about $13.3 billion in total—payable December 4 to shareholders of record November 24, and reauthorized a $4 billion share-buyback program. The sizable payout signals strong cash generation and is the main catalyst behind the stock’s recent strength near its 52-week high. Article: Costco to Pay out $30 Special Dividend, Renews $4 Billion Stock Buyback Program
• 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Freedom Broker downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $1,010.00 to $1,050.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,175.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, October 30th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,092.23.

Costco Wholesale 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.