Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC has reduced its stock holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.9%, owning a total of 5,301 shares after selling 456 shares.
• Costco recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $5.20 with a yield of 0.6%.
• Analysts have varied ratings on Costco stock, with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,061.30.

Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,301 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 456 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.6% of Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 117,254 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $107,436,000 after purchasing an additional 36,384 shares during the last quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $618,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $236,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,343,222.10. This trade represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. This represents a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $943.26 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $418.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.50, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $867.16 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $957.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $971.17.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,061.30.

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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