Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stake Raised by TFB Advisors LLC

TFB Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 167.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 878 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. TFB Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth $32,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,228,600. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST traded down $2.54 on Wednesday, reaching $884.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,740,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,954,451. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $526.15 and a fifty-two week high of $896.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $822.38 and a 200-day moving average of $750.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $392.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.78.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 2.83%. The firm had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $750.00 to $775.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $860.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Gordon Haskett lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $766.73.

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.