Bellevue Asset Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Bellevue Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,094 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 23 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 2.8% of Bellevue Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Bellevue Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 58.2% during the third quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 981 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $554,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. S. R. Schill & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.3% during the third quarter. S. R. Schill & Associates now owns 2,593 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,465,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,945 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,229,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 215,700 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,862,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $694.48.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST traded up $11.46 on Friday, hitting $743.90. 2,323,300 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,605,560. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. The business’s fifty day moving average is $730.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $671.71. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $476.75 and a 12 month high of $787.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $329.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.65, a PEG ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The company had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the company’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 transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,682,948. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.