5,832 Shares in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Purchased by Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 5,832 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,344,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for 2.5% of Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Grassi Investment Management increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Grassi Investment Management now owns 5,155 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,723,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Capital & Planning LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 28.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 3,756 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,441,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares in the last quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $1,214,000. May Barnhard Investments LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $485,000. Finally, Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 3,852 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,529,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST traded up $9.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $1,017.79. The stock had a trading volume of 1,865,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,050,996. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $975.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $973.43. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $788.20 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $451.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.76, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.02 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 30.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,045.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,024.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. This trade represents a 11.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total transaction of $3,924,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.