Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST is NatWest Group plc's 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• NatWest Group plc has significantly increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 83.3%, making it the 7th largest position in their investment portfolio, valued at approximately $14.5 million.
• Costco has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30, with a yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 29.5%.
• Several research firms have raised their target prices for Costco, with Morgan Stanley setting a new target of $1,225 and maintaining an "overweight" rating on the stock.

NatWest Group plc boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 83.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,342 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,973 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 4.3% of NatWest Group plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. NatWest Group plc's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corps Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the first quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.6% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 126 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.6% in the first quarter. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.4% in the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the first quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 866 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $955.90 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $962.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $978.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $423.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.22, a PEG ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.97. 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $867.16 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, August 27th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,050.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at $5,629,419.04. This trade represents a 40.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,147 shares of company stock worth $8,039,440 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.