World Investment Advisors Purchases 1,560 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

World Investment Advisors raised its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $17,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hurley Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 5,038 shares of company stock worth $4,790,896 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on COST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,014.96 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $989.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $940.35. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $450.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.78, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.99.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.02 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.04%.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.