Boston Common Asset Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,418 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 994 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% in the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI upped 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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 firm’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $943.19 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $418.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $675.96 and a twelve month 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. The company has a 50 day moving average of $949.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $900.50.

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.