Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by RFG Advisory LLC

RFG Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 20.7% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,669 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,144 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Vima LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $6.45 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $861.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,217,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,995,011. The stock has a market capitalization of $381.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.74, a P/E/G ratio of 5.49 and a beta of 0.78. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $530.56 and a twelve month high of $896.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $844.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $776.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.08. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 2.83%. The business had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.54%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,837,131. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.