Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Holdings Lowered by Eads & Heald Wealth Management

Eads & Heald Wealth Management cut its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,373 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.7% of Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on COST. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $693.00 to $741.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $795.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Seven 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, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $691.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,967,534.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 6,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,182 shares of company stock valued at $9,809,558. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded down $13.03 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $718.28. 1,795,998 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,121,194. The firm has a market capitalization of $318.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.98, a PEG ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $476.75 and a one year high of $787.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $730.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $656.72.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 26.68%.

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.