Nelson Capital Management LLC Boosts Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Nelson Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,951 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.3% of Nelson Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Nelson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,628 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,160,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the period. Curated Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Curated Wealth Partners LLC now owns 505 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 48,086 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $45,479,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $914.80 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $952.43 and a 200 day moving average of $971.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $405.69 billion, a PE ratio of 50.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $867.34 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The company had revenue of $86.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $86.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.15 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 28.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total transaction of $3,093,615.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,912,100. The trade was a 25.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,981 shares of company stock worth $7,588,685. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,042.00 to $1,033.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,333.00 to $1,418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $947.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $990.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,067.19.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.