Kowal Investment Group LLC Has $888,000 Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Kowal Investment Group LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,045 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Kowal Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $888,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $906.98 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $540.23 and a 1 year high of $923.83. 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 stock has a market cap of $402.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.19, a P/E/G ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $864.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $811.25.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given 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 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $20,015,745. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.