Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Holdings Raised by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in Costco by 62.7% in Q2 to 41,927 shares, valued at approximately $41.3 million, while institutional investors own about 68.48% of the stock.
• Costco beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $5.87 (vs. $5.81) and revenue of $86.16 billion, up 8.1% year-over-year, and reported a 30.09% return on equity.
• Insiders sold 9,720 shares (about $9.01 million) in the last quarter, yet analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $1,025.07.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 62.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,927 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 16,160 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $41,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bulwark Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC lifted its position 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. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 72.0% in the second quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $893.29 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $871.71 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company's 50 day moving average price is $929.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $963.93. The company has a market capitalization of $395.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.98.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 28.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total transaction of $2,526,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total transaction of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 9,720 shares of company stock worth $9,010,257 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. Argus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,333.00 to $1,418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,140.00 to $1,134.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Hovde Group assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,025.07.

About Costco Wholesale

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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