China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 2,081 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,588 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,081 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 1.4% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,616 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,479,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.5% during the second quarter. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI now owns 16,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,718,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,640,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the second quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,638 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $20,430,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $884.47 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $392.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.37, a PEG ratio of 5.99 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $916.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $950.20. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $867.12 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 9,720 shares of company stock valued at $9,010,257 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday. Argus upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $998.70.

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.