Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Citizens & Northern Corp

Citizens & Northern Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,780 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 1.4% of Citizens & Northern Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Citizens & Northern Corp’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Aspire Private Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 91 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $3.31 during trading on Thursday, hitting $798.55. 981,888 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,968,365. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $476.75 and a fifty-two week high of $808.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $739.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $693.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $354.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $696.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.