Accel Wealth Management Takes $217,000 Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Accel Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 328 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 888.9% in the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of COST stock traded up $0.55 on Thursday, reaching $732.63. 1,711,632 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,158,359. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $724.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $642.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $476.75 and a 12-month high of $787.08. The company has a market capitalization of $324.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $58.44 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 26.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total value of $1,700,825.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,020,750.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Yoram Rubanenko sold 2,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.33, for a total transaction of $1,700,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,910 shares in the company, valued at $4,020,750.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $662.30, for a total transaction of $927,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,220,540.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,582 shares of company stock valued at $10,736,778. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $612.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $755.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $640.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $585.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $668.50.

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.