Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Holdings Increased by Trajan Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Trajan Wealth LLC increased its stake in Costco by 7.4% during the first quarter, owning 41,225 shares valued at approximately $38.99 million.
• Costco recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable on August 15th, with a current annualized dividend yield of 0.5%.
• Costco's stock is currently rated as a "Moderate Buy" by analysts, with a consensus target price of $1,050.00.

Trajan Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,225 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,831 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.1% of Trajan Wealth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Trajan Wealth LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $38,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 20.4% during the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.3%

COST traded up $2.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $991.25. 1,587,474 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,215,102. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $975.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $985.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $439.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.23, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $856.16 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.78 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.50%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $11,300,380. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total value of $3,899,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. This trade represents a 40.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,472,510 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Erste Group Bank cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale 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.