Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Perennial Advisors LLC

Perennial Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,230 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 484 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 2.5% of Perennial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Perennial Advisors LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $12,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:COST traded down $11.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $996.20. 1,492,918 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,061,611. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $793.00 and a twelve month high of $1,078.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $995.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $980.29. The company has a market capitalization of $441.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.50, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.78 EPS. Costco Wholesale's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. 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 29.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Patrick J. Callans sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,002.77, for a total transaction of $3,008,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,705,164.11. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total transaction of $830,304.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,987 shares in the company, valued at $6,445,926.72. This trade represents a 11.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,825,205 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Cfra Research upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,035.32.

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.