Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 13.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,442 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,331 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.6% of Sigma Planning Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Sigma Planning Corp's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the first quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,180 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,062,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 12,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,670,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Slow Capital Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 27.2% during the first quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 17,412 shares of the retailer's stock worth $16,468,000 after acquiring an additional 3,723 shares during the last quarter. Fortress Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 97.5% during the first quarter. Fortress Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the retailer's stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the first quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,071 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,905,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $2.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $953.91. 2,276,972 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,067,965. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $793.00 and a 12-month high of $1,078.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $423.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $1,000.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $982.43.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 29.50%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Patrick J. Callans sold 3,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,002.77, for a total value of $3,008,310.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 58,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at $58,705,164.11. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total transaction of $2,028,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,326,171.50. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,472,510 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,037.48.

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.