Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank cut its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,774 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,473 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,291,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock traded up $6.00 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $927.37. 1,673,513 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,769,872. The stock has a market cap of $411.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.46, a P/E/G ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $658.26 and a one year high of $1,008.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $944.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $897.58.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on COST shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This represents a 16.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,816 shares of company stock valued at $6,981,347. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.