Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,642 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 57.3% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 62.6% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,274 shares during the last quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 2,475 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,633,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,221,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $917.08 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $406.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.82, a PEG ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $866.22 and a 200 day moving average of $812.45. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given 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 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on COST. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $857.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.