Tredje AP fonden Raises Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Tredje AP fonden increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,511 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,200 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.9% of Tredje AP fonden’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $93,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $780.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $897.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $397.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.59, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $540.23 and a 12 month high of $923.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $862.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $808.65.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.75%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.