Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Insider Sells $1,157,994.18 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of Costco's stock for a total of $1,157,994.18, reducing her position by 19.38%.
• Costco's shares decreased by 1.1%, trading at $932.14 during midday trading, with a market capitalization of $413.11 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, which will be paid on November 14th, representing an annualized yield of 0.6%.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $9.91 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $932.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,636,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,602,893. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $413.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.19, a P/E/G ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average of $945.23 and a 200 day moving average of $971.67. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $867.34 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on COST. Daiwa Capital Markets cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $947.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,130.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,137.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,068.15.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% during the first quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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