Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Acquires 76 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,598 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Aspect Partners LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 56 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 65 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on COST. Cfra Research upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,037.48.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $939.64 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $984.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $983.58. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $793.00 and a one year 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 $416.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.93 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.48% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.78 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total value of $536,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total value of $2,028,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,326,171.50. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,547 shares of company stock worth $9,472,510. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.