Beaton Management Co. Inc. Sells 87 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Beaton Management Co. Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,970 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 87 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.8% of Beaton Management Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Beaton Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 274.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 48,140 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $40,919,000 after buying an additional 35,269 shares during the last quarter. Callan Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 11,193 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,514,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 591,202 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $502,516,000 after acquiring an additional 29,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 72,264 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,423,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,015,745. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $925.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.9 %

COST stock opened at $900.74 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $399.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.81, a PEG ratio of 5.56 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 twelve month low of $540.23 and a twelve month high of $923.83. The business has a fifty day moving average of $863.57 and a 200-day moving average of $809.87.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.