Aurora Private Wealth Inc. Purchases 52 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 707 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Aurora Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Steph & Co. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.3% during the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded down $9.97 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $721.34. 1,021,627 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,110,336. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $730.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $656.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $476.75 and a 1 year high of $787.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 26.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several research reports. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $691.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total transaction of $1,700,825.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,020,750.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total value of $1,700,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,182 shares of company stock valued at $9,809,558. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.