Golden Reserve Retirement LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,160 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,000,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.2% of Golden Reserve Retirement LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Amundi lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after buying an additional 34,826 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.5% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,499,246,000 after buying an additional 127,495 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,210,837 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,120,787,000 after buying an additional 8,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.3% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,160,702 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,074,381,000 after buying an additional 136,072 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.
Costco Wholesale Stock Performance
Shares of COST stock opened at $1,011.15 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $997.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $947.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $448.60 billion, a PE ratio of 52.58, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.99. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 30.58%.
Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale
In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,045.97.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on COST
Costco Wholesale Company Profile
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Free Report)
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company's product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco's business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.
Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.
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