Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by WJ Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• WJ Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 19.7%, owning 1,822 shares worth approximately $1.8 million after acquiring 300 additional shares in the second quarter.
• Costco reported $5.87 earnings per share for its most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and saw an 8.1% increase in revenue year-over-year, totaling $86.16 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for October 31st, representing an annualized yield of 0.5%.

WJ Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 19.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,822 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. WJ Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,804,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 900.0% in the 1st quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 975.0% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 72.0% in the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $990.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,160.00 to $1,050.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $1,115.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,068.04.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.9%

COST stock opened at $954.99 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $867.34 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $951.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $971.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $423.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.15 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 28.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,912,100. This represents a 25.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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