Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $14.77 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,379 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,048 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its stake in 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. Vima LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Tigress Financial lifted their price target 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. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $970.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $775.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $826.04.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded down $5.56 on Friday, hitting $880.42. The company had a trading volume of 75,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,948,218. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $540.23 and a 1-year high of $918.93. The stock has a market cap of $390.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $856.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $798.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were 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 owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $298,035.50. Following 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 90 days, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.