Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Holdings Lifted by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,193 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.8% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Vima LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $676.00 target price (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 31st. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’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 value 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’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 value 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $900.74 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $863.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $809.87. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $540.23 and a 52-week high of $923.83. The company has a market cap of $399.33 billion, a PE ratio of 55.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.75%.

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.