NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan Sells 600 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,800 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 600 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.7% of NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Meritage Portfolio Management acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $290,000. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 6,621 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,370,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Nadler Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Nadler Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,063 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,022,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 26,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $17,621,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, GHE LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. GHE LLC now owns 6,456 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,261,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $7.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $729.18. 1,512,674 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,051,284. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $730.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $664.86. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $476.75 and a 1-year high of $787.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $323.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.77.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,967,534.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,727 shares of company stock worth $2,682,948 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several research reports. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and set a $775.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $680.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $694.48.

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.