Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Acquired by Simmons Bank

Simmons Bank boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,429 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the third quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 168,641 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $149,504,000 after buying an additional 1,745 shares during the last quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.1% in the third quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc. now owns 7,467 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,623,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 18.4% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,963 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $20,357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,561 shares during the period. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 2,094 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,168,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $932.38 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $895.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $855.44. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $572.24 and a twelve month high of $962.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $413.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.27, a PEG ratio of 5.76 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.86 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on COST shares. Melius Research began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $985.00 to $990.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $955.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $905.30.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the company’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 transaction of $437,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $20,015,745. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,015,745. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,136 shares of company stock worth $10,806,570. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.