Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. raised its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,590 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.8% of Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.1% during the first quarter. Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV now owns 2,489 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,354,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,607 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,761,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,997 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,618,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. GFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 51.8% during the 1st quarter. GFS Advisors LLC now owns 941 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $890,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merrion Investment Management Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Merrion Investment Management Co LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,253,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $974.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $432.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.76 and a beta of 1.00. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $793.00 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,002.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $981.11.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.78 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Cfra Research upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,034.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total transaction of $1,034,011.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total value of $3,924,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,000 shares of company stock worth $10,825,205. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.