Private Client Services LLC Purchases 20 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Private Client Services LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 866 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 20 shares during the quarter. Private Client Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 308 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 284.7% in the second quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,809 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,238,000 after acquiring an additional 2,819 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 204,804 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $174,081,000 after purchasing an additional 3,794 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 1,259 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Andra AP fonden increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 33,100 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,135,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $5.24 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $926.61. 854,952 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,612,895. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $411.32 billion, a PE ratio of 54.41, a P/E/G ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $944.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $897.58. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $658.26 and a 1-year high of $1,008.25.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,816 shares of company stock valued at $6,981,347 in the last three months. 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.