Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 1,202 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Key Points

• Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.2%, bringing its holdings to 53,042 shares worth approximately $50.17 million.
• Costco recently declared a $1.30 quarterly dividend, with an annualized payout of $5.20, equating to a yield of 0.5%, set to be paid on August 15th.
• The company reported an earnings per share of $4.28 for its last quarter, surpassing estimates and reflecting an 8.0% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,042 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,202 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.8% of Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $50,166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% in the first quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 20.4% in the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock traded down $3.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $972.04. 1,637,627 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,147,194. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company's fifty day moving average price is $972.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $985.92. The firm has a market cap of $431.08 billion, a PE ratio of 55.14, a P/E/G ratio of 6.06 and a beta of 0.96.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.78 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 29.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Erste Group Bank lowered Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,050.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total value of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Patrick J. Callans sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 58,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $58,705,164.11. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,472,510. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.