Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Position Raised by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 55.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,068,772 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 382,367 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.6% of Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.24% of Costco Wholesale worth $979,284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,891,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,124,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 18,699 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $17,133,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $1,410,000. Finally, Floyd Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $589,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’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. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $923.50 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $949.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $900.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $675.96 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The company has a market cap of $409.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

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.