Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Purchased by Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COSTFree Report) by 120.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,400 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,700 shares during the quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in COST. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,364,888,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 15,055.5% in the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 320,994 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $317,722,000 after acquiring an additional 318,876 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock opened at $976.17 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $899.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $930.26. The company has a market capitalization of $433.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.29, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COSTGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.85%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,860,260. This trade represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,465 shares of company stock worth $7,711,088 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $900.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $996.00.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Costco Wholesale

About Costco Wholesale

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)

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