Beck Bode LLC Acquires 963 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Beck Bode LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,136 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 2.9% of Beck Bode LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Beck Bode LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $15,701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Bearing Point Capital LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $1,749,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 72,826 shares of the retailer's stock worth $66,863,000 after buying an additional 2,222 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 701 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,293,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,517,467 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,389,003,000 after acquiring an additional 5,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST traded up $6.59 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1,014.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,950,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,033,033. The company has a market capitalization of $450.29 billion, a PE ratio of 59.59, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $746.48 and a 52-week high of $1,078.24. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $961.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $960.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 30.36%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total value of $3,351,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 41,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,242,687. The trade was a 8.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total value of $830,304.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. The trade was a 11.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,045.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Cfra Research raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,024.03.

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.