Atlas Brown Inc. Sells 88 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Atlas Brown Inc. lessened its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,550 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 88 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.4% of Atlas Brown Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Atlas Brown Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Martin Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $421,000. Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 7.8% during the second quarter. Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 4,869 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,820,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. 21 West Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Goldstone Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC now owns 1,070 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,056,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $967.90 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $960.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $974.31. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $867.16 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $429.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total value of $595,230.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,343,222.10. This trade represents a 20.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total value of $536,060.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,300,380. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,147 shares of company stock worth $5,031,130. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,060.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,056.67.

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.