Empirical Asset Management LLC Purchases 4,353 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Empirical Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 25.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,638 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,353 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,826,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of COST. Fermata Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,235,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the third quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 4,675 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,144,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC now owns 358 shares of the retailer's stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST traded up $23.44 on Friday, hitting $943.19. 2,367,034 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,832,091. The firm has a market cap of $418.68 billion, a PE ratio of 55.38, a P/E/G 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 current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $949.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $901.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several research reports. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Company 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.