Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Fortis Capital Advisors LLC

Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 149.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,871 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,719 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.0% of Fortis Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,895,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 194.0% during the third quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 13,404 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,573,000 after purchasing an additional 8,845 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $1,543,000. Lincoln National Corp grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the third quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 22,853 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,911,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Financial Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the third quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC now owns 25,175 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,223,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $696.88.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $13.39 on Friday, reaching $809.73. 1,622,970 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,621,363. The firm has a market capitalization of $359.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.96, a PEG ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $476.75 and a fifty-two week high of $816.87. The business’s 50-day moving average is $742.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $696.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.