Curtis Advisory Group LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Curtis Advisory Group LLC reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,909 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Curtis Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $892.38 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $853.32 and a 200-day moving average of $792.84. The company has a market capitalization of $395.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.29, a PEG ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.78. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $539.31 and a 1-year high of $918.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $58.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The company’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $925.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen lifted their target price 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. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $920.00 to $915.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $824.50.

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.