Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Purchased by Point Windward Advisors Inc.

Point Windward Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 400.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,033 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,427 shares during the quarter. Point Windward Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Everest Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.3% during the third quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 2,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,852,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 28.5% during the third quarter. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators now owns 48,130 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,815,000 after purchasing an additional 10,676 shares during the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.1% in the third quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 1,581 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 178.9% in the third quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,211 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,833,000 after buying an additional 2,701 shares during the period. Finally, Welch Financial Planning LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.4% in the third quarter. Welch Financial Planning LLC now owns 469 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,102.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $483.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.61, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $963.50 and a 200-day moving average of $974.45.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.87 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $30.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

Investors following COST have been watching these news items:

• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $1,155 and maintained an Outperform rating, but noted that expectations ahead of earnings remain demanding. Article: Bernstein Makes Surprising Costco Call Before Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: Freedom Broker downgraded Costco to Hold from Buy, citing the stock’s rich price, while an overbought RSI reading points to possible near-term momentum fatigue. Article: Costco Is Up 18% in a Year. Freedom Broker Says That’s Enough
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares for about $976,000, reducing her position by 13.64% but retaining 5,698 shares. A single executive sale is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. SEC Form 4 filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,200 shares of company stock worth $4,044,632. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, October 30th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Friday, September 25th. HSBC raised shares of Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,143.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,092.23.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line. The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.