Hartford Investment Management Co. lowered its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,081 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 307 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.9% of Hartford Investment Management Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Hartford Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 106,402.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,160,190 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,717,744,000 after purchasing an additional 8,152,528 shares during the period. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $95,452,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,257,809 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,817,573,000 after purchasing an additional 587,303 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 775,541 shares of the retailer's stock worth $710,624,000 after purchasing an additional 343,390 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $280,046,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.
Costco Wholesale Stock Performance
Shares of COST traded up $12.88 on Friday, reaching $952.52. 2,932,630 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,019,283. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $422.42 billion, a PE ratio of 54.03, a PEG ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.96. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $983.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $983.82. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $793.00 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. The company 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%. Costco Wholesale's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.78 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.50%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total value of $2,028,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,326,171.50. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total value of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,547 shares of company stock valued at $9,472,510. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,037.48.
Read Our Latest Report on COST
About Costco Wholesale
(
Free Report)
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.
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