Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Northeast Financial Consultants Inc

Key Points

• Northeast Financial Consultants Inc reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 39.7%, selling 522 shares and now owning 792 shares valued at approximately $749,000.
• Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares at an average price of $980.00, resulting in a 4.53% decrease in her position, while EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares at an average price of $974.96.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Costco, with expectations ranging from $1,035.00 to $1,160.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and interest from institutional investors.

Northeast Financial Consultants Inc lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 39.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 792 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 522 shares during the quarter. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total transaction of $536,060.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. This trade represents a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,147 shares of company stock worth $5,031,130. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price 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. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,050.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.9%

COST opened at $971.85 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $867.16 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $431.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.12, a P/E/G ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 0.97. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $961.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $976.25.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 29.50%.

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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