Navalign LLC Raises Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Navalign LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 807 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the quarter. Navalign LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Northwest Bank & Trust Co grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 2,783 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,705,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. now owns 12,373 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,337,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,011 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,340,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 10,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 101 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 2,430 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,227,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the company’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 owns 43,994 shares in the company, valued at $43,161,193.58. The trade was a 8.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at $38,242,687. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,025.30 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $968.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $970.34. 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 market capitalization of $454.91 billion, a PE ratio of 60.21, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion during 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,024.03.

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.