Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Bank of New Hampshire

Bank of New Hampshire lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,572 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 49 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.3% of Bank of New Hampshire’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Bank of New Hampshire’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.6 %

COST opened at $848.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.08 billion, a PE ratio of 52.56, a P/E/G ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $519.34 and a 12-month high of $873.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $788.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $730.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on COST. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $875.00 price target (up from $800.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Barclays upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $700.00 to $765.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $777.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $752.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.