Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,523 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 548 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 57.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.6% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the last quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 2,475 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,633,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FineMark National Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 5,950 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,927,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Tigress Financial raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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, 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 research report on Monday, September 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $906.98 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $864.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $810.90. The firm has a market cap 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 quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $540.23 and a 52-week high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. 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 presently 28.75%.

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.