Clarus Group Inc. Makes New $304,000 Investment in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Clarus Group Inc. invested approximately $304,000 in Costco Wholesale Corporation by purchasing 307 shares in the second quarter.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes in Costco, with 68.48% of the company's stock now owned by such investors and hedge funds.
• Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, reflecting an annualized payout of $5.20 and a dividend yield of 0.6%.

Clarus Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 307 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $304,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corps Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,463,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 126 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 866 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $819,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,061.30.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $945.27 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $956.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $970.80. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $867.16 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.62, a PEG ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

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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