Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 918 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,742 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,047,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Sandbox Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Sandbox Financial Partners LLC now owns 679 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC now owns 22,355 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,756,000 after acquiring an additional 1,193 shares in the last quarter. Ocean Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Ocean Capital Management LLC now owns 55,214 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $36,446,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Austin Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 28.6% during the fourth quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:COST traded up $0.55 on Thursday, reaching $732.63. The stock had a trading volume of 1,711,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,158,359. The company has a 50-day moving average of $724.29 and a 200 day moving average of $642.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $324.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $476.75 and a 12-month high of $787.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.68%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total value of $505,790.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,721 shares in the company, valued at $4,593,803.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,582 shares of company stock valued at $10,736,778. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $580.00 to $670.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $755.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $612.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $585.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Northcoast Research lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $668.50.

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.