Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Position Boosted by Windsor Group LTD

Windsor Group LTD increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,256 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the quarter. Windsor Group LTD’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Agur Provident & Training Funds Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at $42,000. 25 LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Piscataqua Savings Bank increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 95 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth about $47,000. 66.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $535.00 to $550.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $545.00 to $570.00 in a research note on Friday, June 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $566.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,565 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.00, for a total value of $834,145.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,104,357. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $562.72 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $447.90 and a one year high of $571.16. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $551.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $519.89. The company has a market capitalization of $249.34 billion, a PE ratio of 41.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.79.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 24th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 30.22%.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.