GM Advisory Group LLC Acquires 280 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

GM Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,411 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of COST. Strong Tower Advisory Services raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.9% during the first quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 1,867 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,346,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 52.1% in the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 7,645 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,499,000 after acquiring an additional 2,620 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,533 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,003,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 30.8% during the second quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,596 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares during the period. Finally, Aspiriant LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.1% during the first quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 2,327 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $900.74 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 current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $863.57 and its 200-day moving average is $809.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $399.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.81, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80.

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 given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $676.00 price objective (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $915.00 to $925.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $844.52.

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.