Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP Purchases Shares of 2,910 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake of 2,910 shares in Costco (NASDAQ:COST) during Q4, valued at about $2.51 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Costco increased its quarterly dividend to $1.47 (annualized $5.88) from $1.30, with an ex-dividend date of May 1 and a yield around 0.6%.
• In the latest quarter Costco reported $4.58 EPS (beat consensus by $0.03) and revenue of $69.6 billion (+9.2% YoY); analysts show a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target near $1,046.

Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,910 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,509,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $980,857,000 after buying an additional 1,070,005 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 112.2% during the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $441,919,000 after buying an additional 252,453 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 638.7% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 227,310 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $225,023,000 after buying an additional 196,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $158,189,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,012.79 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $996.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $950.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company has a market cap of $449.32 billion, a PE ratio of 52.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.98 and a beta of 0.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was 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 $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Gordon Haskett lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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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