Nordea Investment Management AB Purchases 18,970 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 53.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,490 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 18,970 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $47,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $874,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,444 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 7,116 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,781,000. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 18,132 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $17,950,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $965.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $984.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $938.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 1.00. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on COST. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price target for the company. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,039.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.