Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Has $8.42 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 79.0%, owning a total of 8,902 shares worth approximately $8,419,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several hedge funds have modified their positions in Costco, with 68.48% of the stock now held by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share set to be paid on August 15th, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 79.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,902 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,928 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of COST. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,436,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. F&V Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,095,000. Rossmore Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 6,687 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,325,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $241,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total transaction of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total transaction of $3,899,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. This represents a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,472,510. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.3%

COST traded down $3.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $972.04. The company had a trading volume of 1,637,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,147,194. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $431.08 billion, a PE ratio of 55.14, a P/E/G ratio of 6.04 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average of $972.25 and a 200-day moving average of $986.08.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,050.00.

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.