Moors & Cabot Inc. Acquires 1,122 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,236 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,043,000. WealthPLAN Partners LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% in the second quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 15,269 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,979,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 99,208.6% during the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,474,733 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,253,508,000 after buying an additional 1,473,248 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,202,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 29.0% in the second quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 28,090 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $23,876,000 after purchasing an additional 6,308 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.9 %

COST opened at $907.87 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $540.23 and a 52 week high of $923.83. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $862.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $807.61. The company has a market capitalization of $402.49 billion, a PE ratio of 56.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on COST shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Argus raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total value of $437,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,015,745. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.