Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC

Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 26.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,033 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,823 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hurley Capital LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $1,018.55 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $990.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $940.81. The firm has a market cap of $451.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.97, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.99. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,039.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,038 shares of company stock worth $4,790,896. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.