Values Added Financial LLC Has $1.16 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Values Added Financial LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,312 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Values Added Financial LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 19.5% in the third quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC now owns 587 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 10,678 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,466,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC now owns 16,873 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,959,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 15,397 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,650,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $877.31 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $552.01 and a 52 week high of $923.83. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $892.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $844.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $388.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.95, a P/E/G ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.86 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at $20,560,344. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,636 shares of company stock valued at $11,238,510 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on COST. Loop Capital increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,005.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Bank of America increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $980.00 price target (up from $950.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Ten 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.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $894.57.

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.