LM Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

LM Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 183.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,837 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,129 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.7% of LM Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. LM Advisors LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,772,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $982,000. Finally, Armis Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $881,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total transaction of $830,304.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. The trade was a 11.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the 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 directly 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of 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. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,024.03.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST traded up $9.29 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,017.79. 1,865,159 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,050,996. The firm has a market cap of $451.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day moving average is $975.30 and its 200 day moving average is $973.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $788.20 and a one year high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $63.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.36%.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.