Fielder Capital Group LLC Decreases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Fielder Capital Group LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,087 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 63 shares during the period. Fielder Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Insight Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 20.5% in the second quarter. Insight Wealth Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Allied Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.9% in the second quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,577 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.0% in the second quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 891 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $882,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Services boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,616 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,479,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.4% in the second quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 10,477 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,372,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,137.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Argus lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Roth Capital set a $907.00 price target on Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,068.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at $8,912,100. The trade was a 25.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at $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 7,920 shares of company stock worth $7,373,175. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.1%

COST opened at $932.14 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $945.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $971.67. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $867.34 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $413.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 2.94%.The business had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $86.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.56%.

Costco Wholesale 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.