10,676 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 28.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 48,130 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,676 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.0% of PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators’ holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $43,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.1% in the third quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 1,581 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 178.9% during the third quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,211 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,701 shares in the last quarter. Welch Financial Planning LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 10.4% during the third quarter. Welch Financial Planning LLC now owns 469 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 819 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $746,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Spectrum Planning & Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Spectrum Planning & Advisory Services Inc. now owns 605 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Top Costco Wholesale Stories

Here are a few of the latest stories about COST:

• Positive Sentiment: Costco announced a $30-per-share special dividend—about $13.3 billion in total—payable December 4 to shareholders of record November 24, and reauthorized a $4 billion share-buyback program. The sizable payout signals strong cash generation and is the main catalyst behind the stock’s recent strength near its 52-week high. Article: Costco to Pay out $30 Special Dividend, Renews $4 Billion Stock Buyback Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $1,155 and maintained an Outperform rating, but noted that expectations ahead of earnings remain demanding. Article: Bernstein Makes Surprising Costco Call Before Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares for about $976,000, reducing her position by 13.64% but retaining 5,698 shares. A single executive sale is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. SEC Form 4 filing

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. The trade was a 23.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,083.95, for a total transaction of $975,555.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,176,347.10. This represents a 13.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 4,200 shares of company stock valued at $4,044,632 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business has a 50-day moving average of $963.50 and a 200-day moving average of $974.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $483.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.61, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.85. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,102.84.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.87 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a $30.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,160.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,143.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,092.23.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line. The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.