Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stake Boosted by D Orazio & Associates Inc.

D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,438 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,222,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Vima LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $710.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Argus lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $815.00 to $873.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of COST opened at $900.40 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $859.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $803.66. The company has a market cap of $399.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.79, a P/E/G ratio of 5.33 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.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were 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 $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,560,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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, 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.