Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by First Manhattan CO. LLC.

Key Points

• First Manhattan CO. LLC increased its stake in Costco by 3.1%, owning 18,884 shares worth approximately $17.86 million after acquiring an additional 571 shares in the first quarter.
• Wall Street analysts show mixed sentiment with Evercore ISI lowering its target price from $1,075 to $1,060, while JPMorgan Chase raised their target from $1,115 to $1,160, indicating varied outlooks for Costco's stock performance.
• Costco's quarterly dividend was recently paid at $1.30 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.6% and a dividend payout ratio of 29.50%.

First Manhattan CO. LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,884 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $17,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the first quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 20.4% during 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 last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on COST shares. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of 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 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,050.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.2%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $943.32 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $418.34 billion, a PE ratio of 53.51, a P/E/G ratio of 5.86 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. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $965.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $979.61. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $867.16 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.50%.

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 that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total transaction of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,147 shares of company stock worth $10,067,740. 0.18% of the stock is 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.

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