Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 5,765 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,626 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,765 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.6% of Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $28,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $477,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 63.8% in the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 113 shares of the retailer's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,044 shares of the retailer's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 956 shares of the retailer's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kiley Juergens Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kiley Juergens Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,484 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,917,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $1.21 on Wednesday, reaching $723.89. 1,203,546 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,067,977. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $730.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $664.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $787.08. The company has a market cap of $321.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating and set a $775.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $694.48.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,682,948 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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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