MUFG Securities EMEA plc Takes $9.46 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)
MUFG Securities EMEA plc has acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST), purchasing 10,000 shares valued at approximately $9.46 million in the first quarter. Other investors, including Vanguard Group and GAMMA Investing, have also increased their stakes in Costco. Insider trading activity includes sales by executives Pierre Riel and Yoram Rubanenko. Costco's stock opened at $980.98, with a market cap of $435.05 billion, and the company recently reported quarterly earnings exceeding estimates. A quarterly dividend of $1.30 is set to be paid on August 15.
MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 10,000 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $9,458,000.
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A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 42,644,711 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $40,332,515,000 after acquiring an additional 443,101 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 106,402.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,160,190 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,717,744,000 after acquiring an additional 8,152,528 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,257,809 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,817,573,000 after acquiring an additional 587,303 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,990,957 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,656,828,000 after acquiring an additional 18,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,357,630 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,175,579,000 after acquiring an additional 125,441 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale
In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total value of $2,028,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,326,171.50. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total transaction of $3,899,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,472,510. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.4%
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Shares of COST stock opened at $980.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $435.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.64, a PEG ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.96. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $837.63 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $977.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $984.85.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The company's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.78 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.
Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend
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The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.50%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently commented on COST. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,050.00.
Get Our Latest Analysis on COST
Costco Wholesale Company Profile
(Free Report)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.
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