Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,179 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth about $4,202,000. Beck Bode LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 15,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,563,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wulff Hansen & CO. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 16.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,735 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was 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 directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5 %

COST opened at $947.73 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $950.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $902.31. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $675.96 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $420.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. 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, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

About Costco Wholesale

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.