Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by City Holding Co.

City Holding Co. lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,090 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 69 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.1% of City Holding Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. City Holding Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of COST. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,202,000. Beck Bode LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 15,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,563,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 68,324 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $58,075,000 after acquiring an additional 4,577 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 64,820 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $55,096,000 after purchasing an additional 6,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.0% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on COST. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was 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 $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $943.19 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $418.68 billion, a PE ratio of 55.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $949.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $901.47. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $675.96 and a fifty-two week high of $1,008.25.

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.