Plato Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,102 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.9% of Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cable Hill Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cable Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,369 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Bell Bank lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the third quarter. Bell Bank now owns 2,332 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,067,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 18.8% during the third quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 5,787 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,130,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. GHE LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the third quarter. GHE LLC now owns 6,475 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,720,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saturna Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.1% in the third quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 4,412 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,911,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,016 shares of company stock valued at $9,826,115. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

COST opened at $933.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $895.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $855.44. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $572.24 and a 52 week high of $962.00. The stock has a market cap of $413.71 billion, a PE ratio of 56.35, a P/E/G ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Melius Research assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price objective for the company. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $905.30.

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.