B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Grows Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 12.4%, owning 55,338 shares valued at approximately $52.34 million.
• Several institutional investors have boosted their stakes in Costco, with Vanguard Group increasing its ownership by 1.0% and GAMMA Investing LLC by a staggering 106,402.1%.
• Costco reported a quarterly earnings per share of $4.28, surpassing estimates, and declared a dividend of $1.30 per share for a yield of 0.6%.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,338 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,101 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $52,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded down $4.56 during trading on Thursday, hitting $944.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,066,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,332,416. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $967.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $982.55. The company has a market capitalization of $419.07 billion, a PE ratio of 53.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $867.16 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,050.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total value of $3,899,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,629,419.04. This trade represents a 40.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,147 shares of company stock worth $10,067,740 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.