Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by Diversified Trust Co.

Key Points

• Diversified Trust Co. increased its stake in Costco by 39.4% in Q4, buying 4,292 shares to hold 15,183 shares valued at about $13.09 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with 22 Buy, 11 Hold, and 1 Sell ratings, a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,039.13, with several firms recently raising targets.
• Costco slightly beat quarterly expectations (EPS $4.58 vs $4.55; revenue $69.60B, +9.2% YoY) and recently paid a $1.30 quarterly dividend (annualized $5.20, ~0.5% yield).

Diversified Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 39.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,183 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 4,292 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $1,185.00 price target on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $965.73 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $984.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $938.56. The company has a market cap of $428.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.22, a PEG ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. Costco Wholesale's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 27.04%.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company's product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco's business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.

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