Scholtz & Company LLC Sells 200 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Scholtz & Company LLC lessened its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 25.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 590 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Scholtz & Company LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Vima LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 39 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $915.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $405.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.69, a PEG ratio of 5.47 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 Co. has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $918.93. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $860.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $804.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on COST. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $844.52.

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.