Greenline Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Greenline Partners LLC trimmed its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,922 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 480 shares during the quarter. Greenline Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 229,125 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $209,940,000 after buying an additional 110,546 shares during the period. Full Sail Capital LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 643 shares of the retailer's stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Elefante Mark B acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $640,000. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 13,180 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $12,076,000 after purchasing an additional 2,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $2,260,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COST. Cfra Research upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,024.03.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.7%

COST stock traded down $17.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $999.03. The company had a trading volume of 2,912,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,033,648. The company has a market capitalization of $443.25 billion, a PE ratio of 58.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $958.05 and a 200 day moving average of $964.92. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $771.43 and a 12 month high of $1,078.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $63.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. On average, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.36%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total value of $3,924,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $43,161,193.58. This trade represents a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total value of $3,351,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at $38,242,687. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale 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.