Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Sells 450 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. reduced its stake in Costco by 3.2%, selling 450 shares, leaving them with 13,424 shares valued at approximately $13.29 million, making Costco their 12th largest investment.
• Costco reported earnings of $5.87 per share for the recent quarter, surpassing estimates, and its revenue reached $86.16 billion, marking an 8.1% increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30, set to be paid on November 14th, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 28.56%.

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. trimmed its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,424 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 450 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 2.5% of Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,029,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,628 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,160,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the period. Omnia Family Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 38.6% during the first quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 463 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $438,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.9% in the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,712 shares of the retailer's stock worth $20,535,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $932.14 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $867.34 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $945.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $971.67. The stock has a market cap of $413.11 billion, a PE ratio of 51.19, a P/E/G ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The company had revenue of $86.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.15 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 28.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,912,100. This represents a 25.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the business'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 owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,920 shares of company stock valued at $7,373,175 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $990.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Argus increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $947.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,068.15.

Costco Wholesale Company 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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