Westview Management dba Westview Investment Advisors Makes New $2.16 Million Investment in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Westview Management bought a new stake in Costco, acquiring 2,505 shares valued at approximately $2.16 million during the fourth quarter.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive: the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $1,039.13, and several analysts recently raised targets above $1,000.00.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently, offloading a total of 7,645 shares (about $7.05 million) over the past three months, and insiders now own just 0.10% of the stock.

Westview Management dba Westview Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,505 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,160,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of COST. Hurley Capital LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,039.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the 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 transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $965.73 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $984.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $938.56. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. 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 company has a market capitalization of $428.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 27.04%.

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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