Signaturefd LLC Grows Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the second quarter, bringing its total shares to 12,789, valued at approximately $12.66 million.
• Costco reported earnings of $5.87 per share for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, and its quarterly revenue reached $86.16 billion, an increase of 8.1% from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 28.56%.

Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,789 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $12,660,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.9% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,610 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,560,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the second quarter. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC now owns 628 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $621,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.4% during the second quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 987 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $977,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% during the second quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,584 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,508,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.5% during the second quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,066 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,055,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $915.95 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The stock's 50-day moving average is $955.70 and its 200 day moving average is $970.76. The company has a market cap of $406.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.30, a PEG ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.10% and a net margin of 2.94%.The company had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.15 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,137.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Erste Group Bank lowered Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,333.00 to $1,418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,069.58.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. This trade represents a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total value of $3,899,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. This represents a 40.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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