Merriman Wealth Management LLC Has $7.09 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Merriman Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,342 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Merriman Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,665 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,515,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,153,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 171.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,304 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,808,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,560 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,326,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $906.98 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $540.23 and a 12-month high of $923.83. The company 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $864.85 and its 200-day moving average is $810.90.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.