Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Reduces Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,363 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,097 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.7% of Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $66,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 975.0% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 72.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Daiwa Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $983.25 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $900.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $929.44. The company has a market cap of $436.44 billion, a PE ratio of 52.66, a P/E/G ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.02. 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:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,792,849.10. This represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.