Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Position Raised by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 38.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 329,277 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 91,596 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.0% of Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.07% of Costco Wholesale worth $301,707,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Grassi Investment Management boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Grassi Investment Management now owns 5,155 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,723,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Capital & Planning LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 3,756 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,441,000 after acquiring an additional 837 shares during the period. Redmond Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $1,214,000. May Barnhard Investments LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $485,000. Finally, Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 3,852 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,529,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,242,687. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total value of $3,924,280.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,994 shares in the company, valued at $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $9.63 on Friday, reaching $1,008.50. 1,412,932 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,051,730. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $973.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $972.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $447.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $788.20 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $63.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. On average, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 30.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,045.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,024.03.

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.