Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Pecaut & CO.

Pecaut & CO. reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,964 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 39 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 2.9% of Pecaut & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Pecaut & CO.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Vima LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $900.40 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $859.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $803.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $399.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $540.23 and a 1-year high of $918.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com raised Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $915.00 to $925.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.52.

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.