Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc.

BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,989 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 529 shares during the quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the fourth 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. Steph & Co. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.3% during the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 74 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $1.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $731.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,481,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,762,592. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $787.08. The business has a fifty day moving average of $730.68 and a 200 day moving average of $656.07. The company has a market capitalization of $324.34 billion, a PE ratio of 47.83, a P/E/G ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The company had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.30 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.35%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $685.93, for a total transaction of $5,487,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 216,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $148,306,297.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Caton Frates sold 740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.50, for a total transaction of $505,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,593,803.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $685.93, for a total transaction of $5,487,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 216,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $148,306,297.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,182 shares of company stock valued at $9,809,558 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on COST. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $795.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $691.28.

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.