Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. Trims Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,031 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 85 shares during the period. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,215,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Tsfg LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 985 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. PFW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $2,057,000. Signet Financial Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 5,777 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,293,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Private Wealth LLC now owns 861 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $789,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $924.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $675.96 and a fifty-two week high of $1,008.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $948.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $899.73. The company has a market capitalization of $410.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.30, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 target price (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. 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 report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.