Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stake Lessened by Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc.

Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,887 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 191 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.5% of Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% during the second quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 9,804 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,705,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. WMG Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.0% during the second quarter. WMG Financial Advisors LLC now owns 644 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.9% during the second quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 8,543 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,470,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at about $1,255,000. Finally, Moseley Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the second quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,609 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,583,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,130.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 26th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $990.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 29th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,042.00 to $1,033.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 26th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,066.23.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total transaction of $3,899,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at $5,629,419.04. This represents a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. This trade represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,981 shares of company stock worth $7,588,685. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $930.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $952.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $971.48. The company has a market cap of $412.16 billion, a PE ratio of 51.07, a P/E/G ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.98. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $867.34 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.01 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.56%.

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.