Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 832.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,158 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,961 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.5% of Quantbot Technologies LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $905.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $799.33.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded down $3.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $842.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,284,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,995,215. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $827.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $752.35. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $530.56 and a 12 month high of $896.67. The company has a market capitalization of $373.68 billion, a PE ratio of 52.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 0.78.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 2.83%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.43 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.75%.

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.