Global Wealth Strategies & Associates Has $346,000 Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 25.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 366 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates’ holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $346,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth $3,245,000. Trust Co of the South raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 14.3% during the first quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 601 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $568,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.2% during the first quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 1,816 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $1,085,000. Finally, Fire Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $1,223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,013.14 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $979.82 and a 200-day moving average of $974.01. The company has a market cap of $449.51 billion, a PE ratio of 59.49, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $788.20 and a one year high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $63.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 30.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Cfra Research raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,028.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total value of $3,924,280.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,994 shares in the company, valued at $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,242,687. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Costco Wholesale

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.