Vinva Investment Management Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Vinva Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 33.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,674 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,219 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.8% of Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $28,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% during the first quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 975.0% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.6%

COST stock opened at $908.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $402.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.88, a PEG ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $871.71 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $924.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $960.46.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The firm had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.15 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.56%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total transaction of $2,232,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,860,260. This trade represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,720 shares of company stock worth $9,010,257. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,025.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,140.00 to $1,134.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,025.07.

About Costco Wholesale

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.