Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by Fortitude Family Office LLC

Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 48.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,130 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.0% of Fortitude Family Office LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Fortitude Family Office LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,489,574,000 after buying an additional 32,074 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.8% during the 3rd quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 2,417 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,143,000 after buying an additional 932 shares during the period. Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 8,046 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,133,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the period. Nwam LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $20,056,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,020,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on 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. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded up $9.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $936.94. 2,764,527 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,956,132. The company's 50-day moving average is $947.92 and its 200-day moving average is $898.61. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $667.64 and a 52-week high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $415.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.02, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 27.25%.

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.