Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 123,965 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 973 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $109,899,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 326.9% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares in the last quarter. First International Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. First International Bank & Trust now owns 1,330 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,219,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 3,130 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,868,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farmers Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 409 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.0 %

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $927.48. 984,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,660,030. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $667.64 and a fifty-two week high of $1,008.25. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $946.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $897.99. The company has a market cap of $411.71 billion, a PE ratio of 54.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.