Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) EVP Yoram Rubanenko Sells 4,000 Shares

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:COST traded up $2.54 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $953.91. 2,275,415 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,066,816. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $423.04 billion, a PE ratio of 54.11, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,001.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $982.21. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $793.00 and a one year high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.78 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Cfra Research raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,037.48.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% in the 1st quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 55 shares of the retailer's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% 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.