Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Aurora Private Wealth Inc.

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3,574.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,016 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,308 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.7% of Aurora Private Wealth Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Aurora Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $24,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the first quarter. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,638 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,499,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 34,881 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,990,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. waypoint wealth counsel lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 5.2% in the first quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 1,609 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,522,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 39.8% in the first quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 13,700 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,957,000 after acquiring an additional 3,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saxony Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% in the first quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 572 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.5%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $986.54 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $793.00 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $437.51 billion, a PE ratio of 55.96, a P/E/G ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,004.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $981.29.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders 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 represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.50%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Patrick J. Callans sold 3,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,002.77, for a total transaction of $3,008,310.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,705,164.11. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total value of $536,060.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,496,950. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target 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, June 17th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,034.79.

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.