WealthPLAN Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

WealthPLAN Partners LLC cut its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,689 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,580 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.4% of WealthPLAN Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. WealthPLAN Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the first quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,371 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 22.3% in the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,719 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 82.7% during the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 288,774 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $211,565,000 after buying an additional 130,737 shares during the period. New Insight Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at about $203,000. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 7,509 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,501,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $20,015,745. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,136 shares of company stock valued at $10,806,570. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST traded up $3.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $936.10. The stock had a trading volume of 492,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,923,889. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $894.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $854.01. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $572.24 and a fifty-two week high of $962.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $414.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.56, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $950.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $905.30.

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.