AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Acquires Shares of 16,368 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs acquired a stake of 16,368 shares in Costco Wholesale Corporation during the 1st quarter, valued at approximately $17,026,000, making it the firm's 19th largest holding.
• Costco recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, with a yield of approximately 0.5%, reflecting a payout ratio of 29.50%.
• Despite mixed analyst ratings, Wall Street analysts have generally rated Costco as a "Moderate Buy", with a consensus price target of $1,056.67.

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 16,368 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $17,026,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.0% of AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs' investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 12.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. F&V Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth about $236,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth about $3,095,000. Rossmore Private Capital increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the first quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 6,687 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,325,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth about $241,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $964.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $427.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.97. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $867.16 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $960.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $975.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total value of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at $11,300,380. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total value of $3,899,840.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 5,147 shares of company stock worth $5,031,130. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,056.67.

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.

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