Harfst & Associates Inc. Cuts Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Harfst & Associates Inc. decreased its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,717 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 216 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 0.9% of Harfst & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Clarity Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the third quarter. Clarity Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,327 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,041,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,406 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,885,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,759 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,745,000 after buying an additional 2,177 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC now owns 414 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFG Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.6% during the third quarter. IFG Advisors LLC now owns 1,087 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $964,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on COST. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Truist Financial cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $873.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $890.07.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total value of $2,844,768.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,671,983.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,224 shares of company stock valued at $9,974,973. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5 %

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $889.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $394.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.12, a P/E/G ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $889.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $833.05. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $923.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.86 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.