Associated Banc Corp Has $1.62 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Associated Banc Corp grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,771 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First National Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 19,846 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,184,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,000. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. now owns 7,038 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,449,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Postrock Partners LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $951,000. Finally, Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. now owns 7,366 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,749,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $903.92 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $697.27 and a 12 month high of $1,078.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $989.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $944.47. The company has a market cap of $401.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.08, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.81.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.02 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 41,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,242,687. The trade was a 8.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,030.43.

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.