Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by YHB Investment Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• YHB Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.6%, owning 42,405 shares worth approximately $41.98 million, making it the 4th largest position in their portfolio.
• Several institutional investors have increased their positions in Costco, with Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosting its stake by 45.0% during the fourth quarter.
• Costco declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, representing an annualized payout of $5.20 and a dividend yield of 0.5%.

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,405 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 704 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 3.2% of YHB Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $41,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,968 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,939,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $10,827,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 16,328 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $16,164,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Capital Management LLC WI lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Park Capital Management LLC WI now owns 277 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $7.90 during trading on Monday, hitting $943.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,781,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,990,076. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $957.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $971.17. The company has a market capitalization of $418.32 billion, a PE ratio of 53.50, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 0.97. 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 1 year low of $867.16 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,056.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at $5,629,419.04. The trade was a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.