DLK Investment Management LLC Sells 133 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

DLK Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,803 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 133 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 4.0% of DLK Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. DLK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,380,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new stake in 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 Trading Up 0.2 %

COST stock traded up $1.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $857.47. The stock had a trading volume of 275,614 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,966,534. The firm has a market cap of $380.14 billion, a PE ratio of 53.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $522.10 and a 12-month high of $873.96. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $793.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $735.97.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.08. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The company had revenue of $58.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on COST. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $700.00 to $765.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $860.00 to $890.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $756.85.

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.