Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. raised its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,162 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the first quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,371 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,004,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.3% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,719 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.5% during the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,494 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,025,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.9% during the first quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 3,890 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,850,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pullen Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth $1,439,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $877.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $388.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.95, a PEG ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.80. 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 50 day moving average price of $892.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $844.03. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $552.01 and a 12-month high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 28.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total value of $437,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,015,745. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,636 shares of company stock valued at $11,238,510. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $980.00 price objective (up previously from $950.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 27th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $880.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $894.57.

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.