Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 282.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,712 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,264 shares during the quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $922,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Bank increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.2% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 5,254 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,026,000 after buying an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 33.6% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 383,691 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $220,948,000 after buying an additional 96,566 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 87.1% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 232 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at approximately $333,000. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the first quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 3,414 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,965,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 66.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $556.36 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $447.90 and a 52 week high of $571.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $550.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $518.87. The firm has a market cap of $246.52 billion, a PE ratio of 41.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 30.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $535.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,565 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.00, for a total transaction of $834,145.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,104,357. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.