SFE Investment Counsel Purchases 120 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

SFE Investment Counsel increased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,754 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.2% of SFE Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Vima LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on COST. Bank of America lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $915.00 to $925.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $828.73.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $876.68 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $857.45 and its 200 day moving average is $799.68. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $540.23 and a 52-week high of $918.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $388.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.32, a PEG ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80.

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 issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.75%.

Costco Wholesale 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.