Rise Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Rise Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 742 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 17 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.3% of Rise Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Rise Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $765,000. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,670,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 9,986 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,150,000 after buying an additional 2,355 shares during the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 1,103 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,011,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $244,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital boosted their price objective 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, Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.0 %

NASDAQ:COST traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $923.15. 821,223 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,533,372. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.21, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $944.01 and a 200 day moving average of $897.06. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $654.03 and a 12 month high of $1,008.25.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction 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 $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,816 shares of company stock worth $6,981,347 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale 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.