Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 94,116 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,389 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.3% of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $83,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 73.5% in the second quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 59 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% during the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $1.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $933.73. 1,756,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,928,804. The stock has a market capitalization of $413.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.11, a PEG ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $895.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $855.44. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $572.24 and a 12 month high of $962.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.86 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $950.00 price target for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $1,016.00 price objective for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $905.30.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total value of $2,844,768.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,671,983.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,136 shares of company stock valued at $10,806,570. 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.