Whitener Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,890 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% in the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $71,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $943.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $949.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $901.17. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $675.96 and a 1-year high of $1,008.25.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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.