Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, now owning 12,412 shares valued at approximately $11.7 million.
• Costco reported quarterly earnings of $4.28 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations, with total revenue of $63.21 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.5%, with a payout ratio of 29.5%.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,412 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.1% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the 1st 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 bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock opened at $969.68 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $970.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $985.89. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $430.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.00, a PEG ratio of 6.18 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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.92%.Costco Wholesale's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,050.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total transaction of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,547 shares of company stock valued at $9,472,510 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.

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