Aigen Investment Management LP Buys New Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,865 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,871,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.7% of Aigen Investment Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Keystone Financial Group purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $282,000. Bard Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,900 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,215,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Columbia Asset Management now owns 4,446 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,935,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. L.M. Kohn & Company boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 15,731 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $10,384,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, STF Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. STF Management LP now owns 7,407 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,889,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ COST traded down $2.81 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $793.00. 1,346,578 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,992,873. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $804.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $735.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $688.99. 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 company has a market cap of $351.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.06, a P/E/G ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The company had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The business's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Loop Capital cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Tigress Financial raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $695.08.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was 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 approximately $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value 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 own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.

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