Opinicus Capital Inc. Buys New Shares in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Opinicus Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,784 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,177,000. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.2% of Opinicus Capital Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. McCarthy Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Bank OZK increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank OZK now owns 3,106 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,050,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 3,862 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,549,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 262,154 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $173,052,000 after acquiring an additional 2,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,060,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

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

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given 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 a boost 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 presently 30.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. StockNews.com downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $694.48.

Insider Transactions 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 12,395 shares in the company, valued at $8,967,534.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,727 shares of company stock worth $2,682,948. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.