Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 6.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,178,273 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 83,235 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Costco Wholesale worth $1,114,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Xcel Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 64.5% during the 1st quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,364,000 after acquiring an additional 980 shares during the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,732 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 16,965 shares of the retailer's stock worth $16,578,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333 shares during the period. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 42,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $40,526,000 after purchasing an additional 1,921 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 38,221 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,149,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of COST traded up $3.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $986.27. 1,101,351 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,074,110. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $793.00 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. 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 company has a market capitalization of $437.39 billion, a PE ratio of 55.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,005.20 and a 200 day moving average of $981.20.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.78 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,034.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Patrick J. Callans sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,002.77, for a total value of $3,008,310.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 58,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $58,705,164.11. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,496,950. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.