Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stake Increased by Western Financial Corp CA

Western Financial Corp CA increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 63.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,329 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 904 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.2% of Western Financial Corp CA’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Western Financial Corp CA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,230,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.8% in the third quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 2,539 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,251,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.5% during the third quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,037,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.7% during the third quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,323 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castleview Partners LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.8% in the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 545 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $483,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 10th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $880.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $890.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,015,745. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,224 shares of company stock valued at $9,974,973. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3 %

COST stock opened at $886.77 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $393.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.94, a P/E/G ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $540.23 and a 1-year high of $923.83. The business’s 50 day moving average is $889.73 and its 200-day moving average is $835.23.

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 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.75%.

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.