Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Holdings Lowered by Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,884 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,331 shares during the quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,785.8% in the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 41,186 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $27,186,000 after purchasing an additional 39,002 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Research LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 544.2% in the 4th quarter. Main Street Research LLC now owns 50,706 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,231,000 after purchasing an additional 42,835 shares during the last quarter. Riverstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,000. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 67.3% in the 4th quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,912 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ COST traded down $0.96 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $717.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 892,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,103,754. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $318.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.16, a PEG ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $730.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $657.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $787.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 26.68%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $685.93, for a total transaction of $5,487,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 216,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $148,306,297.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 13,442 shares of company stock worth $9,303,768. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $691.28.

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.