Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Nelson Capital Management LLC

Nelson Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,708 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 136 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.6% of Nelson Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Nelson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter worth $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $900.40 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $859.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $803.66. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $540.23 and a 52-week high of $918.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $399.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.79, a PEG ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Oppenheimer upped 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. Argus upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.