Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Key Points

• Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 1.1%, currently holding 32,937 shares valued at approximately $32.6 million.
• Costco reported $5.87 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and showing an 8.1% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, with a yield of 0.6%, to be paid on November 14th.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,937 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.7% of Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $32,605,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Corps Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.6% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 126 shares of the retailer's stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the first quarter. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,638 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,499,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Aspect Partners LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Viewpoint Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the first quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,543,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $936.11 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $948.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $971.70. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $867.34 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market capitalization of $414.86 billion, a PE ratio of 51.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on COST. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $1,115.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $950.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $947.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,068.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total transaction of $3,093,615.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,912,100. This trade represents a 25.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.

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