Howard Capital Management Inc. Has $2.78 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 320.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,266 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,490 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.3% of Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th 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 bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 price-to-earnings ratio of 54.32, a P/E/G 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’s 50-day moving average is $857.45 and its 200-day moving average is $799.68.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Argus increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $910.00 to $915.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $815.00 to $873.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $828.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

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

About Costco Wholesale

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.