Falcon Wealth Planning Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Falcon Wealth Planning grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 72.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,786 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,527 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.8% of Falcon Wealth Planning’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Falcon Wealth Planning’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highland Capital Management LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 39,791 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,313,000 after acquiring an additional 6,228 shares in the last quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 454 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Welch Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $287,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 8,099 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,984,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,012.79 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $996.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $950.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $449.32 billion, a PE ratio of 52.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.98 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.58%.

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.