Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,678 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,961 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 26.6% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 207,426 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $196,179,000 after buying an additional 43,539 shares during the last quarter. Bank OZK lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.4% during the first quarter. Bank OZK now owns 4,062 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,842,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. Finally, CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 44.6% during the first quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 810 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.0%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $860.39 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $914.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $947.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $381.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 1.00. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $950.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 1st. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $991.39.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,912,100. This represents a 25.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,720 shares of company stock worth $9,010,257. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.