Criterion Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 2,989 Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,989 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,973,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.4% of Criterion Capital Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Steph & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded down $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $709.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,190,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,668,139. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $476.75 and a 12 month high of $787.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $314.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.40, a PEG ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $730.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $661.22.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 26.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $691.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,228,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,727 shares of company stock valued at $8,170,388. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.