North Star Asset Management Inc. Sells 290 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

North Star Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,411 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 290 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $3,628,694,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at about $510,353,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 287.3% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 836,247 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $710,802,000 after buying an additional 620,341 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3,647.1% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 567,641 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,688,000 after buying an additional 552,492 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,360,168 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,640,940,000 after acquiring an additional 485,051 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on COST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. 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. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $828.73.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $876.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $388.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.32, a PEG ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $857.45 and a 200 day moving average of $799.68. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $918.93.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $848.53, for a total value of $1,272,795.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,327,041.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.