S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Has $7.37 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,441 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 790 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 2.3% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% in the first quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% in the first quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,056.67.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total transaction of $3,899,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,629,419.04. This represents a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total transaction of $536,060.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,147 shares of company stock valued at $5,031,130 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of COST stock opened at $967.90 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $960.40 and a 200-day moving average of $974.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $867.16 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The company has a market capitalization of $429.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.90, a P/E/G ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.50%.

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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