American Trust Has $6.76 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

American Trust decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,230 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 547 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.6% of American Trust’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. American Trust’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Vima LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was 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 three months, insiders have sold 3,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,837,131. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $970.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $875.00 price objective (up from $800.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $805.46.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $5.19 on Friday, reaching $822.08. 2,598,467 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,182,416. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $530.56 and a one year high of $896.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $843.59 and its 200-day moving average is $771.58. The firm has a market cap of $364.45 billion, a PE ratio of 50.93, a P/E/G ratio of 5.49 and a beta of 0.78.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.08. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The firm had revenue of $58.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

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.