Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.

Key Points

• Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. has increased its stake in Costco by 9.6%, now owning 5,452 shares valued at approximately $5.4 million.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings for Costco, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and various target prices, including a recent raise to $1,225.00 by Morgan Stanley.
• The latest quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share reflects a 0.5% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 29.50%.

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 9.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,452 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.7% of Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Aspect Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on COST shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Erste Group Bank cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,056.67.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $967.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $429.24 billion, a PE ratio of 54.90, a P/E/G ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.97. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $960.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $974.64. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $867.16 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.50%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,629,419.04. This trade represents a 40.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,147 shares of company stock valued at $5,031,130 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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