Trust Co of the South Decreases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Trust Co of the South trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 526 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 52 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.0 %

COST traded down $9.61 on Thursday, hitting $906.66. The company had a trading volume of 1,182,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,942,804. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $942.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $895.84. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $640.51 and a 1 year high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market cap of $402.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.24, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.82.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,091,512.30. This represents a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,816 shares of company stock worth $6,981,347. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,011.74.

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.