Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC trimmed its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,796 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 831 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.4% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $20,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $9.57 on Friday, reaching $936.94. The stock had a trading volume of 2,764,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,956,132. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $946.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $897.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $667.64 and a 1 year high of $1,008.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $415.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.02, a P/E/G ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,013.59.

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.