Savvy Advisors Inc. Buys 3,665 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Savvy Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 71.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,791 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,665 shares during the quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GK Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.2% during the third quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 940 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $14,889,000. Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $2,706,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.0% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 32,873 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,262 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Hovde Group assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $978.14 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $918.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $931.46. The stock has a market cap of $434.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.39, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given 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 is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.