Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Holdings Increased by Groupe la Francaise

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.2%, owning a total of 71,923 shares worth approximately $67.45 million, making Costco its 17th largest position.
• Insiders sold a total of 10,147 shares valued at over $10 million in the last 90 days, with significant sales made by EVPs Pierre Riel and Teresa A. Jones.
• Costco's stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $1,050, according to numerous equity analysts.

Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,923 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,046 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.4% of Groupe la Francaise's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $67,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total value of $2,028,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,326,171.50. The trade was a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,147 shares of company stock valued at $10,067,740. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,050.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $958.54 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $969.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $985.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market capitalization of $425.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.37, a P/E/G ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 0.96.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.92%.The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.78 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 29.50%.

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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