GAMMA Investing LLC Has $7.02 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,662 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.6% of GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,487,057 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,380,648,000 after purchasing an additional 162,191 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,308,615 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,252,274,000 after purchasing an additional 324,973 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 113,947.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,370,916 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,534,464,000 after buying an additional 7,364,453 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,650,562 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,102,941,000 after buying an additional 88,550 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.8% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,399,127 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,013,394,000 after buying an additional 125,444 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $909.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $403.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.82. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $640.51 and a 1 year high of $1,008.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $942.87 and a 200-day moving average of $895.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,050.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,011.74.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at $9,091,512.30. The trade was a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,155,409.10. This represents a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,816 shares of company stock worth $6,981,347. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.