Boston Common Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. 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 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 1,953 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,790,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. CNB Bank raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. CNB Bank now owns 2,983 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,733,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 10,097 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $9,252,000 after buying an additional 957 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the retailer's stock worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 14,856 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $13,612,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $950.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock traded up $23.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $943.19. 2,367,034 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,832,091. The stock has a market capitalization 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $675.96 and a 12 month high of $1,008.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $949.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $901.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.