Cozad Asset Management Inc. Has $16.15 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. has reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 5.0%, now owning 17,077 shares valued at approximately $16.15 million, making it the firm's 7th largest holding.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on Costco, with ratings ranging from "hold" to "moderate buy," and a consensus target price of $1,037.48.
• Costco has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, indicating a 0.56% dividend yield, with the payout ratio standing at 29.50%.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 5.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,077 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 906 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.6% of Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $16,151,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC lifted 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 valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Patrick J. Callans sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,002.77, for a total value of $3,008,310.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 58,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,705,164.11. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock valued at $9,472,510. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock traded up $14.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $952.76. 1,952,063 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,210,222. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $793.00 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The stock's fifty day moving average is $984.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $983.58. The company has a market cap of $422.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.06, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.97. 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 (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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.78 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Cfra Research raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,037.48.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.