Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 901 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Vima LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $875.67 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $874.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $820.24. 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 stock has a market cap of $388.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.25, a PEG ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $540.23 and a twelve month high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.30%. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.86 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,005.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $883.04.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,174 shares of company stock worth $7,097,624. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.