Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 105,341 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 792 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 3.1% of Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $69,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Financial Services LTD. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 870 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. First National Corp MA ADV raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. First National Corp MA ADV now owns 3,098 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Morton Capital Management LLC CA raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Morton Capital Management LLC CA now owns 1,564 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 2,736 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,807,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,573,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total value of $505,790.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,593,803.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,182 shares of company stock worth $9,809,558. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock traded down $13.03 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $718.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,795,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,121,092. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $730.68 and a 200-day moving average of $656.72. The company has a market capitalization of $318.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.12, a PEG ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $476.75 and a 12-month high of $787.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business 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 is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $795.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.