Profund Advisors LLC Has $31.41 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Profund Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 36,948 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 542 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.2% of Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $31,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter worth $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Vima LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $906.98 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $864.85 and its 200 day moving average is $811.25. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $923.83. The firm has a market cap of $402.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.19, a P/E/G ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $676.00 price target (up previously from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 31st. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $780.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight equities 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.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.