Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by New Hampshire Trust

New Hampshire Trust lessened its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 6.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,684 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 377 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.2% of New Hampshire Trust's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. New Hampshire Trust's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 354 shares of the retailer's stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. James J. Burns & Company LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.8% in the first quarter. James J. Burns & Company LLC now owns 818 shares of the retailer's stock worth $774,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% during the first quarter. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. now owns 1,076 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.9% during the first quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 14,966 shares of the retailer's stock worth $14,155,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total value of $830,304.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,445,926.72. The trade was a 11.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total value of $3,351,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at $38,242,687. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,600 shares of company stock worth $9,140,195. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Mizuho initiated 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. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Barclays raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Cfra Research raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,035.32.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.6%

COST traded up $16.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $1,056.35. 1,677,999 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,052,250. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $983.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $975.99. The firm has a market cap of $468.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.03, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $793.00 and a 1 year high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.36%.

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.