Sonoma Private Wealth LLC Cuts Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sonoma Private Wealth LLC trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,967 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 94 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 2.7% of Sonoma Private Wealth LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Sonoma Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Perpetual Ltd grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.7% during the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Grandview Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the first quarter. Grandview Asset Management LLC now owns 2,681 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 43.2% during the 1st quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 5,275 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,865,000 after buying an additional 1,592 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the first quarter. American National Bank now owns 20,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,022,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apella Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.5% during the first quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction of $3,921,060.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,224 shares of company stock valued at $9,974,973. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $955.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $985.00 to $990.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $880.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $890.07.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $886.32. 295,148 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,938,435. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $392.94 billion, a PE ratio of 54.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $888.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $831.04. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. 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.