Sargent Investment Group LLC Purchases 319 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sargent Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,664 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Sargent Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Stonebrook Private Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $731,000. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,864 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,870,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. PGGM Investments increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 3,225 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,129,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,340,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Opinicus Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $1,177,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.0 %

COST stock traded up $7.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $729.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,524,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,663,722. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $476.75 and a one year high of $787.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $730.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $666.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $323.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $694.48.

Costco Wholesale 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.