Simplicity Wealth LLC Buys 1,270 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Costco (COST) by 13.5%, buying 1,270 shares to own 10,652 shares valued at about $9.186 million.
• Costco raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 (annualized $5.88) with an ex-dividend date of May 1 and payment on May 15, implying a yield of roughly 0.6%.
• Recent quarterly results beat expectations: EPS $4.58 vs. $4.55 estimate and revenue $69.6B vs. $68.96B, and analysts have a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $1,045.97.

Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,652 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,270 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,781,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $121,098,000 after acquiring an additional 27,625 shares during the last quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,911,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 399,894 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $370,140,000 after acquiring an additional 5,937 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $994.00 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $996.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $949.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $440.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.99. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 27.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on COST. Gordon Haskett boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,045.97.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale 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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