Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Purchases New Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,398 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,000. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.6% of Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of COST. Hurley Capital LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. This trade represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $965.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $428.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,067.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $984.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $938.56.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Roth Mkm reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,155.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.