Ritholtz Wealth Management Has $18.14 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,794 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 918 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,202,000. Beck Bode LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 15,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,563,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at $250,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 18,950 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,107,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 63,897 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $54,312,000 after buying an additional 3,179 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $943.19 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $949.84 and its 200 day moving average is $900.50. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $675.96 and a 12-month high of $1,008.25. The stock has a market cap of $418.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.38, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.