Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Acquired by HBW Advisory Services LLC

HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,498 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 38 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% during the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $71,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded up $11.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $938.41. The company had a trading volume of 1,775,963 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,790,675. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $667.64 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $416.56 billion, a PE ratio of 55.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $946.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $897.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on COST. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

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.