XML Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

XML Financial LLC lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,986 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,395 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 35.5% in the third quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 2,844 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,521,000 after buying an additional 745 shares in the last quarter. GSG Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 441 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 23,208 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $20,574,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 2,889 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,561,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Objective Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $307,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,560,344. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total value of $431,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,560,344. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,636 shares of company stock worth $11,238,510. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of COST opened at $943.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $418.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.96, a PEG ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $562.01 and a 52 week high of $962.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $893.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $850.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The company had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Truist Financial cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $873.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Melius Research began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,005.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $905.30.

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.