Trustmark National Bank Trust Department Purchases 843 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Trustmark National Bank Trust Department boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 21.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,829 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the period. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 73.5% during the second quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 59 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 230.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $928.08 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $411.20 billion, a PE ratio of 56.01, a PEG ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $899.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $862.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $577.71 and a fifty-two week high of $962.00.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued 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 was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total transaction of $2,844,768.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,630 shares in the company, valued at $7,671,983.70. This trade represents a 27.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,016 shares of company stock worth $9,826,115 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on COST. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $880.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $860.00 to $890.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $950.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $908.81.

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.

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