WBI Investments LLC Takes Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation, purchasing 306 shares valued at approximately $289,000 in the first quarter.
• Insider selling occurred with Director Susan L. Decker and EVP Teresa A. Jones selling 547 and 600 shares respectively, indicating a decrease in their ownership of the stock.
• Wall Street analysts' consensus rating for Costco is a Moderate Buy with a price target of $1,056.67, amid mixed ratings and target adjustments from several research firms.

WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 306 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $289,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,436,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. F&V Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,095,000. Rossmore Private Capital boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the first quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 6,687 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,325,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $241,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, 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 value of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,380. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value 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 $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,147 shares of company stock worth $5,031,130. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on COST. Erste Group Bank cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,056.67.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $964.32 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $960.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $975.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $427.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.70, a PEG ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $867.16 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

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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