Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Holdings Cut by FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,132 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 113 shares during the quarter. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Balboa Wealth Partners grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.6% during the third quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 4,621 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,097,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 129,143 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $114,488,000 after purchasing an additional 25,345 shares during the period. Sargent Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 4,129 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,660,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 14.4% in the third quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 325 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 21,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,111,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This represents a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total value of $2,844,768.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,671,983.70. This trade represents a 27.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,016 shares of company stock worth $9,826,115. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target 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. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Melius Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,005.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $880.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $905.30.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $923.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $409.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.76 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $572.24 and a fifty-two week high of $962.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $896.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $855.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.86 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.00%.

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.