Elefante Mark B Makes New $640,000 Investment in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Elefante Mark B acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 698 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $640,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,670,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 3,130 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. First International Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. First International Bank & Trust now owns 1,330 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,219,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 48.0% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares during the period. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 326.9% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the retailer's stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

COST stock traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,008.70. 1,175,590 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,029,974. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $771.43 and a one year high of $1,078.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $447.54 billion, a PE ratio of 59.23, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $958.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $963.56.

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 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 30.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total value of $3,924,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 $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. Insiders have sold a total of 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. DA Davidson increased their target price 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. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.