Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Sells 1,745 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COSTFree Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 43,271 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,745 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.8% of Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $37,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after acquiring an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 112.2% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $441,919,000 after acquiring an additional 252,453 shares in the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $213,362,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 638.7% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 227,310 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $225,023,000 after acquiring an additional 196,537 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,033.08 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $458.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.72, a P/E/G ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $999.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $953.63. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COSTGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,047.27.

View Our Latest Stock Report on COST

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

(Free Report)

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COSTFree Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)

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