Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 751 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 314 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Steph & Co. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 888.9% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST traded down $1.84 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $730.24. 636,572 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,140,979. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $723.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $641.98. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $476.75 and a fifty-two week high of $787.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $323.86 billion, a PE ratio of 47.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The business had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.68%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total transaction of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares in the company, valued at $8,967,534.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $662.30, for a total value of $927,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,220,540.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,582 shares of company stock worth $10,736,778. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $755.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $612.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. StockNews.com cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $640.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $668.50.

About Costco Wholesale

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.