KFG Wealth Management LLC Trims Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

KFG Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 813 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 59 shares during the period. KFG Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of COST traded up $3.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $862.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 814,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,958,381. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $382.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.45, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.78. The company’s 50-day moving average is $807.29 and its 200-day moving average is $743.56. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $524.63 and a 52-week high of $873.96.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 2.83%. The firm had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $700.00 to $765.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $940.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $905.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $875.00 target price (up from $800.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $758.70.

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.