Candriam S.C.A. Sells 2,472 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,557 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,472 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $67,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Vima LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $676.00 price target (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $970.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $828.73.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $876.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $388.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $540.23 and a 1 year high of $918.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $857.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $799.68.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale 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.