Aberdeen Group plc Increases Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) by 1.0%, owning a total of 384,978 shares after buying an additional 3,624 shares in the second quarter.
• Costco reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $5.87 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $5.81, with a revenue of $86.16 billion, a year-over-year increase of 8.1%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30, representing an annualized dividend of $5.20 and a yield of 0.6%, with a payout ratio of 28.56%.

Aberdeen Group plc increased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 384,978 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,624 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.6% of Aberdeen Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.09% of Costco Wholesale worth $378,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of COST. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% during the 1st quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter worth approximately $61,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $930.01 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $952.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $971.77. The company has a market cap of $412.16 billion, a PE ratio of 51.07, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $867.34 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.01 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 2.94%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.15 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.56%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,912,100. This represents a 25.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,981 shares of company stock valued at $7,588,685 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Roth Capital set a $907.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Argus upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $947.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,066.23.

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.

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