United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Reduces Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 47,383 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,511 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.7% of United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $42,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 5,787 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,130,000 after buying an additional 915 shares during the period. GHE LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the third quarter. GHE LLC now owns 6,475 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,720,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Saturna Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.1% during the third quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 4,412 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,911,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.2% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 36,494 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,353,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares during the period. Finally, MQS Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth approximately $722,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST traded down $1.49 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $930.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 460,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,922,915. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $895.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $855.44. The company has a market cap of $412.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.11, a PEG ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $572.24 and a 1 year high of $962.00.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,015,745. The trade was 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 link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,136 shares of company stock valued at $10,806,570. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $980.00 price objective (up from $950.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Truist Financial downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $873.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $985.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $860.00 to $890.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $905.30.

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.