Larson Financial Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 84.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,343 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,990 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Oak Asset Management LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the second quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC now owns 4,396 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,737,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% during the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 995 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $729,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 790 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LifePro Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. LifePro Asset Management now owns 358 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST traded up $4.70 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $883.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 315,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,951,467. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $540.18 and a 52-week high of $918.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average is $855.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $797.36. The company has a market capitalization of $391.58 billion, a PE ratio of 54.43, a PEG ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.78.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $20,015,745. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 approximately $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Gordon Haskett raised Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $925.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $970.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $824.50.

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.