Apollon Wealth Management LLC Buys 1,663 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 3.7%, acquiring an additional 1,663 shares, bringing its total shares owned to 46,948, valued at approximately $46.5 million.
• Costco reported a $5.87 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates, and had a year-over-year revenue growth of 8.1% amounting to $86.16 billion.
• The stock's average price target from investment analysts is currently $1,066.23, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" based on the latest evaluations from firms like JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley.

Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,948 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.9% of Apollon Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Apollon Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $46,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% during the first quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Aspect Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the first quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $930.01 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $952.05 and a 200 day moving average of $971.77. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $867.34 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $412.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.07, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on COST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,160.00 to $1,050.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,066.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total transaction of $3,093,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,912,100. This trade represents a 25.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,981 shares of company stock valued at $7,588,685. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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