Whittier Trust Co. Acquires 3,038 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.1%, acquiring an additional 3,038 shares, bringing its total holdings to 63,117 shares valued at approximately $62.5 million.
• Costco reported a Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of $5.87, beating estimates of $5.81, with revenue of $86.16 billion, an 8.1% year-over-year increase.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30, payable on November 14, with an annualized yield of 0.6%, and a dividend payout ratio of 28.56%.

Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,117 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,038 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.8% of Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $62,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 900.0% during the 1st quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 72.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth $48,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ COST opened at $936.11 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $948.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $971.70. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $867.34 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $414.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.41, a P/E/G ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 2.94%.The business had revenue of $86.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $86.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.15 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,912,100. This trade represents a 25.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,343,222.10. This trade represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. BTIG Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $1,115.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,068.15.

About Costco Wholesale

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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