Smith Thornton Advisors LLC Takes Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Smith Thornton Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 294 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fermata Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,745,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co grew 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 worth $4,144,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on COST. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Nine research 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, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.5 %

COST stock traded up $23.44 during trading on Friday, hitting $943.19. The company had a trading volume of 2,348,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,824,019. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $949.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $900.50. The stock has a market cap of $418.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.38, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $675.96 and a 12 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.

Costco Wholesale 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.