Opinicus Capital Inc. Has $1.33 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Opinicus Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,815 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.2% of Opinicus Capital Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Opinicus Capital Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COST. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.1 %

COST traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $849.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,131,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,840,321. The company has a market capitalization of $376.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.66, a PEG ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $801.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $739.18. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $524.63 and a 52 week high of $873.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $750.00 to $775.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Argus increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $756.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.