Guidance Capital Inc. Sells 26 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Guidance Capital Inc. lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,298 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 26 shares during the period. Guidance Capital Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.4% during the first quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 605 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 154.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 6,285 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,605,000 after acquiring an additional 3,814 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 21,861 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,016,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.7% during the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 10,110 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,407,000 after acquiring an additional 2,004 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 116,942 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $85,675,000 after acquiring an additional 9,344 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $899.17 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $923.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $891.03 and its 200 day moving average is $836.93. The firm has a market cap of $398.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.71, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The company had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $894.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total value of $431,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,560,344. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total value of $431,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,560,344. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,220 shares of company stock worth $9,971,643. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.