Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Bank OZK

Bank OZK raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,106 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 88 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.0% of Bank OZK’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Bank OZK’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,050,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial & Tax Architects LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 25.5% during the third quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $785,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.3% in the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,695 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $961,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $223,000. Jmac Enterprises LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 50.5% in the third quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $766,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.6% in the third quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 475 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock traded up $7.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $729.18. 1,524,431 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,663,722. The company has a market cap of $323.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50 day moving average is $730.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $666.04. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $476.75 and a 1 year high of $787.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 30.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $694.48.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,682,948 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.