Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Essex Savings Bank

Essex Savings Bank lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,837 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 24 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Bank’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ERn Financial LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. ERn Financial LLC now owns 2,091 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,916,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,666 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,443,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. D. Scott Neal Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,033 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $947,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $8,430,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. StockNews.com downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $919.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $408.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.01, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $949.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $900.36. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $675.96 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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.