Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Lowers Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its stake in Costco by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,040 shares and ending the period with 320,557 shares valued at $275,386,000.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive with a consensus of Moderate Buy, an average target of $1,045.97, and recent target increases from firms such as Mizuho and Telsey.
• Costco raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 (annualized $5.88, ~0.6% yield); shareholders of record on May 1 will be paid on May 15.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 320,557 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,040 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.07% of Costco Wholesale worth $275,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, April 10th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,045.97.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $1,005.81 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08. The firm's fifty day moving average is $996.44 and its 200 day moving average is $946.24. The firm has a market cap of $446.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.99.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost 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 30.58%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.