Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Position Increased by Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC

Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,393 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on COST. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. StockNews.com raised Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $970.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $915.00 to $925.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $906.98 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $540.23 and a 52-week high of $923.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $402.10 billion, a PE ratio of 56.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $864.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $810.90.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,560,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.