Independent Advisor Alliance reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 2.1% during the third quarter, selling 686 shares to finish the period with 32,229 shares. This holding represented approximately 0.8% of the fund’s portfolio and ranked as its 20th largest position. At the end of the reporting period, the value of this stake stood at $29.83 million according to the latest SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also adjusted their Costco holdings over the past two quarters. Peterson Wealth Services modestly increased its position by 0.5%, ending the period with 13,616 shares. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI expanded by 3.5% to 16,888 shares. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake by 49.3% to 3,780 shares during the third quarter. Meanwhile, Permanent Capital Management LP initiated a new position valued at $874,000. Collectively, hedge funds and institutional investors now control 68.48% of Costco’s shares.

In its most recent quarterly report, Costco posted earnings per share of $4.34, surpassing analyst estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Revenue reached $67.31 billion, above projections of $67.03 billion, representing an 8.3% year-over-year increase. Return on equity was reported at 29.35%, while net margin stood at 2.96%. Equities analysts project full-year earnings per share of 18.03 for the current fiscal year.

Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, translating to an annualized payout of $5.20 and a dividend yield of approximately 0.6%; the payout ratio is 27.85%. Insider transactions include Executive Vice President Javier Polit’s sale of 558 shares and EVP Russell D. Miller’s sale of 1,500 shares, contributing to aggregate insider dispositions of 9,315 shares valued at $8.55 million over the last 90 days. Insider ownership remains at 0.10% of total shares outstanding.