Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

CWA Asset Management Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,635 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 652 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.7% of CWA Asset Management Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. CWA Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $34,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 55 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total transaction of $1,034,011.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,165 shares in the company, valued at $10,495,211.65. This represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total value of $830,304.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares in the company, valued at $6,445,926.72. This trade represents a 11.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,825,205. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $2.10 on Friday, hitting $977.00. 1,250,058 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,062,423. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $793.00 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. The company has a market capitalization of $433.28 billion, a PE ratio of 55.56, a P/E/G ratio of 5.76 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm's 50-day moving average is $1,002.60 and its 200 day moving average is $981.11.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,034.79.

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.