Everence Capital Management Inc. Has $5.10 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,723 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ COST traded down $2.31 on Tuesday, reaching $715.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,402,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,105,297. The firm has a market capitalization of $317.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $787.08. The company’s fifty day moving average is $730.82 and its 200-day moving average is $657.77.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $795.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Oppenheimer upped their target price 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. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $691.28.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total transaction of $1,700,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total value of $1,700,825.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,442 shares of company stock worth $9,303,768 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.