Wedbush Securities Inc. Sells 2,579 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Wedbush Securities Inc. reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,631 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,579 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 3.4% of Wedbush Securities Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $104,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $36,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 72.0% in the second quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,009.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $978.14 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a market capitalization of $434.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.39, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $918.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $931.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.04 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.85%.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.