Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by Sivia Capital Partners LLC

Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,978 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.0% of Sivia Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Sivia Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $1.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $857.50. 312,467 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,954,429. The company has a market capitalization of $380.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.05, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $807.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $743.56. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $524.63 and a 12 month high of $873.96.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 2.83%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $860.00 to $890.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Barclays boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $700.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $815.00 to $873.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Gordon Haskett cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $758.70.

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.