Helium Advisors LLC Acquires New Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Helium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,197 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,097,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.9% of Helium Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BIP Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $229,000. Breakthru Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $395,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,957 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,416,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC now owns 1,812 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,660,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,018.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $451.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.78, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $788.20 and a 12-month high of $1,078.24. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $971.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $971.25.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,045.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,024.03.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total value of $830,304.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total value of $1,034,011.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,165 shares in the company, valued at $10,495,211.65. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.

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