ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $2.83 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,190 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 57 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Tamar Securities LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.7% in the third quarter. Tamar Securities LLC now owns 922 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. FLC Capital Advisors increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 15.8% in the third quarter. FLC Capital Advisors now owns 1,293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,146,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Horizon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.7% in the third quarter. Horizon Wealth Management LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 224.5% during the 3rd quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,182,000 after acquiring an additional 2,483 shares during the period. Finally, AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC now owns 2,358 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,090,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $887.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $393.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $540.23 and a 52 week high of $923.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $887.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $830.66.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total transaction of $2,844,768.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,630 shares in the company, valued at $7,671,983.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total transaction of $2,844,768.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,671,983.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,224 shares of company stock worth $9,974,973 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on COST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $873.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $886.74.

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.