Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Park Edge Advisors LLC

Costco Wholesale logo with Retail/Wholesale background
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Key Points

  • Park Edge Advisors LLC sharply reduced its Costco stake by 85.5% in the first quarter, selling 1,589 shares and leaving it with 270 shares valued at about $269,000.
  • Costco stock was down 2.0% in Friday trading, opening at $942.24, while the company carried a market cap of $417.86 billion and traded below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
  • Costco recently reported mixed quarterly results: EPS of $4.93 slightly missed estimates, but revenue of $70.53 billion topped expectations. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share from $1.30.
  • MarketBeat previews the top five stocks to own by July 1st.

Park Edge Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 85.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 270 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,589 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $269,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,539,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,833 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer's stock worth $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $942.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $417.86 billion, a PE ratio of 47.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $996.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $970.66. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,061.45.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Costco Wholesale

More Costco Wholesale News

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

Costco Wholesale Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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