Symmetry Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Symmetry Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 83.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 370 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,823 shares during the quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Interstate Bank boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the third quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 7,456 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,610,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,004,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Vigilare Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vigilare Wealth Management now owns 2,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,349,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, James Investment Research Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 4,162 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,690,000 after buying an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of COST opened at $877.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $388.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.95, a PEG ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $892.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $844.92. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $552.01 and a twelve month high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.86 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on COST shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $905.30.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total value of $431,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at $20,560,344. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,636 shares of company stock valued at $11,238,510. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.