Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,758 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 33 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Diversify Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at about $6,534,000. Vista Capital Partners Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 2,566 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,181,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.1% during the second quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 27,104 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $23,038,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 52.1% during the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 7,645 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,499,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OV Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the second quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 2,129 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale 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 owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $916.00 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $861.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $806.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $406.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $540.23 and a 1-year high of $923.83. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid 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 0.51%. 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.