Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 213.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,028 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,426 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the second quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.4% during the second quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,454,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,299,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tandem Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm set a $769.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price objective for the company. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,315 shares of company stock valued at $8,549,409. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7%

COST opened at $983.25 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $900.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $929.44. The company has a market capitalization of $436.44 billion, a PE ratio of 52.66, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.