Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by Norway Savings Bank

Norway Savings Bank increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,707 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.9% of Norway Savings Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Norway Savings Bank’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This represents a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % 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 valued at $6,981,347 over the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST traded down $0.46 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $922.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,021,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,586,203. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $654.03 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $409.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $944.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $897.06.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on COST. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upped 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. Evercore ISI boosted 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

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.