Intrepid Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Intrepid Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 258 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Intrepid Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Independent Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 14.0% during the third quarter. Independent Family Office LLC now owns 570 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 18,977 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,824,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 48.5% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 41,946 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,186,000 after buying an additional 13,697 shares during the period. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,465,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 84.0% in the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 3,072 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,402 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST traded up $3.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $978.18. The stock had a trading volume of 179,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,919,412. The stock has a market capitalization of $433.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.84, a P/E/G ratio of 6.00 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $907.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $872.68. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $591.46 and a 52 week high of $979.90. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The company had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.86 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $955.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $880.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $908.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,016 shares of company stock worth $9,826,115 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale 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.