Albion Financial Group UT Cuts Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Albion Financial Group UT reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,865 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 726 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.2% of Albion Financial Group UT’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Albion Financial Group UT’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in COST. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $980,857,000 after buying an additional 1,070,005 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 112.2% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $441,919,000 after purchasing an additional 252,453 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 638.7% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 227,310 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $225,023,000 after purchasing an additional 196,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 55.0% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 490,871 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $485,933,000 after purchasing an additional 174,082 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on COST shares. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,039.13.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,038 shares of company stock worth $4,790,896. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,018.55 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $990.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $940.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The firm has a market cap of $451.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.97, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.99.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.02 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.04%.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.