Anfield Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Key Points

• Anfield Capital Management LLC sold 314 shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation, reducing its holdings by 17.6% in the first quarter.
• Insider trading activity included Director Susan L. Decker selling 547 shares and EVP Pierre Riel selling 2,000 shares, resulting in significant decreases in their ownership stakes.
• Costco recently announced a $1.30 quarterly dividend, which will be paid to shareholders on August 15th, marking a yield of 0.5%.

Anfield Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 17.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,475 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 314 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% in the first 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. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.4% in the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.3%

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $2.51 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $991.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,587,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,215,102. The company has a market cap of $439.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.23, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The business's 50 day moving average price is $975.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $985.81. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $856.16 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 30.48%. Costco Wholesale's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.78 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.50%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total value of $2,028,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,210 shares in the company, valued at $8,326,171.50. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total transaction of $3,899,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock valued at $9,472,510 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,050.00.

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.