Sienna Gestion Grows Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sienna Gestion raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,652 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.2% of Sienna Gestion’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Sienna Gestion’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of COST. First Washington CORP boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Washington CORP now owns 10,304 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,758,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Beck Bode LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 15,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,563,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.4% in the second quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 41,522 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,293,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares during the period. Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 33.3% in the second quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 1,473 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,252,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zega Financial LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 540.8% in the second quarter. Zega Financial LLC now owns 3,627 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,083,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $892.52 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $540.23 and a 52 week high of $923.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $395.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $862.49 and a 200-day moving average of $809.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid 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 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $925.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $676.00 price target (up previously from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $815.00 to $873.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.

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.