CapWealth Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

CapWealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,157 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 257 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 2.4% of CapWealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. CapWealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 57.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.6% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $231,000. Finally, Wrapmanager Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. now owns 787 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total value of $437,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $20,015,745. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $885.98 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $856.92 and its 200 day moving average is $798.62. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $540.18 and a 12 month high of $918.93. The company has a market capitalization of $392.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $925.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $824.50.

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.