Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Parallel Advisors LLC

Parallel Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 45,511 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 691 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.0% of Parallel Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Parallel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $38,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 57.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 62.6% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $94,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on COST. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $916.00 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $861.57 and its 200-day moving average is $805.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $406.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $540.23 and a fifty-two week high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by 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.