LS Investment Advisors LLC Sells 252 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

LS Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,167 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 252 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Grassi Investment Management lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.9% during the first quarter. Grassi Investment Management now owns 5,408 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,115,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Bay Rivers Group increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.6% in the first quarter. Bay Rivers Group now owns 5,887 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,567,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Better Money Decisions LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.5% during the first quarter. Better Money Decisions LLC now owns 383 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.8% during the first quarter. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 603 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clare Market Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 17.5% in the first quarter. Clare Market Investments LLC now owns 3,981 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,766,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,051.69 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $793.00 and a 12 month high of $1,078.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $991.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $978.09. The company has a market cap of $466.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.76, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $1.30 dividend. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. 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 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.36%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,161,193.58. This trade represents a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,242,687. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Loop Capital cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,035.32.

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.