Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Acquired by First National Trust Co

First National Trust Co increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,846 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,489,574,000 after buying an additional 32,074 shares during the last quarter. Nwam LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $20,056,000. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $8,430,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $984,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 3.9 %

NASDAQ COST opened at $890.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $395.35 billion, a PE ratio of 52.30, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.81. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $697.27 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $990.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $944.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,030.43.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,242,687. This represents a 8.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate 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.