Vest Financial LLC Acquires 11,806 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Costco by 40.1% in Q4, buying 11,806 shares to own 41,234 shares valued at about $35.56 million.
• Costco raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 (annualized $5.88), with an ex-dividend date of May 1 and payable May 15, implying a yield of roughly 0.6% and a payout ratio near 30.6%.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive—22 Buys, 11 Holds and 1 Sell—with a consensus target of $1,045.97, while several firms have moved price targets (e.g., Mizuho to $1,100; Goldman Sachs to $1,088).

Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 40.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,234 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 11,806 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $35,558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer's stock worth $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 112.2% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer's stock worth $441,919,000 after purchasing an additional 252,453 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 638.7% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 227,310 shares of the retailer's stock worth $225,023,000 after purchasing an additional 196,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $158,189,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on COST. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.3%

COST opened at $998.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,067.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $442.77 billion, a PE ratio of 51.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.98 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50-day moving average is $996.71 and its 200 day moving average is $948.66.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The company 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 firm's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.02 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

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