Geode Capital Management LLC Has $8.90 Billion Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,739,175 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 252,118 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.7% of Geode Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.19% of Costco Wholesale worth $8,901,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 426.1% during the fourth quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014 shares in the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 670 shares of the retailer's stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Gibson Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $958,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 16,867 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $15,455,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Finally, Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,001 shares of the retailer's stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded down $37.72 on Friday, reaching $929.36. 2,093,559 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,945,926. The stock has a market capitalization of $412.34 billion, a PE ratio of 54.68, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company's 50 day moving average is $989.17 and its 200-day moving average is $947.61. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $702.00 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.02 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total value of $1,034,011.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This represents a 8.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total transaction of $830,304.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. This represents a 11.41 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,600 shares of company stock worth $5,215,915 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,029.00.

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.