Fisher Asset Management LLC Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,790,935 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 81,853 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.9% of Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,842,241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in 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 last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock traded up $9.71 on Friday, reaching $855.67. 1,395,485 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,517. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $516.54 and a 1 year high of $856.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $774.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $723.29. The company has a market cap of $379.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.02, a P/E/G ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 0.79.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 2.83%. The business had revenue of $58.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $750.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Argus raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $940.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $751.85.

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.