Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Position Raised by Constitution Capital LLC

Constitution Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 43.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,525 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,364 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.4% of Constitution Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Constitution Capital LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Verum Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 626 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the first quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,932 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,756,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Pitti Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth about $224,000. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the first quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,727 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% during the first quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the retailer's stock worth $9,887,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $4.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,014.94. 1,852,907 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,058,141. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $993.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $979.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $450.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.60, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $793.00 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.78 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Cfra Research upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,035.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total transaction of $830,304.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. This trade represents a 11.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total transaction of $1,034,011.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.