Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Bellecapital International Ltd.

Bellecapital International Ltd. cut its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,319 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 450 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 4.6% of Bellecapital International Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Bellecapital International Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $21,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Vima LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of COST stock traded down $6.76 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $870.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,516,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,987,382. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $848.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $782.54. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $530.56 and a 12 month high of $896.67. The company has a market cap of $385.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,970 shares of company stock worth $4,249,526 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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 report on Thursday, August 8th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $925.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, August 5th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $970.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $676.00 target price (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.