ASB Consultores LLC Takes Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

ASB Consultores LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 344 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $292,000.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $864.85 and a 200 day moving average of $810.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $402.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.19, a PEG ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.80. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Redburn Atlantic cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Citigroup raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.52.

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.