Romano Brothers AND Company Decreases Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Romano Brothers AND Company cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,856 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 297 shares during the quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aspire Private Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at about $20,406,948,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at about $22,359,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. 25 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,000. 66.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $562.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 374,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,784,762. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $447.90 and a 1-year high of $571.16. The business has a fifty day moving average of $551.21 and a 200 day moving average of $519.89. The company has a market capitalization of $249.15 billion, a PE ratio of 41.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.11 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 Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,565 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.00, for a total transaction of $834,145.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,104,357. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $575.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 25th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $545.00 to $570.00 in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.