Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Buys 359 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,961 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.0% of Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.2% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 719 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,762 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 15.2% during the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 356 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 19.1% during the first quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 755 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 36.4% during the first quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,418,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at $20,560,344. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total transaction of $2,844,768.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,671,983.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at $20,560,344. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,224 shares of company stock worth $9,974,973 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.8 %

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $893.49 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $540.23 and a 1-year high of $923.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $395.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $890.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $836.49.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on COST. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $980.00 price objective (up from $950.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $880.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $894.57.

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.