Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Busey Bank

Key Points

• Busey Bank has reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 10.1%, selling 298 shares during the second quarter, leaving them with a total of 2,640 shares valued at approximately $2.6 million.
• Costco recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, equating to an annualized dividend of $5.20 and a yield of 0.5%.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating for Costco, with an average price target of $1,056.67, with several analysts having set price targets ranging from $1,035.00 to $1,100.00.

Busey Bank trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 10.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,640 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 298 shares during the quarter. Busey Bank's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corps Capital Advisors LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 126 shares of the retailer's stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the retailer's stock worth $404,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 866 shares of the retailer's stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.1%

COST opened at $951.16 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $957.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $972.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $421.82 billion, a PE ratio of 53.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm 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 is 29.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on COST. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,056.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at $2,343,222.10. This trade represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total value of $3,899,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares in the company, 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale 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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