Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,506 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,752 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.6% of Mutual of America Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $49,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC grew 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 valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.4% in the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.4%

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $3.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $980.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,188,224 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,221,562. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $837.63 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The stock's fifty day moving average is $979.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $984.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $435.04 billion, a PE ratio of 55.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,040.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,547 shares of company stock valued at $9,472,510 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Costco Wholesale

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.