First City Capital Management Inc. Sells 45 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

First City Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 918 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. First City Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during 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 during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock traded up $9.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $919.39. The stock had a trading volume of 895,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,321,493. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $640.51 and a fifty-two week high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $942.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $895.94. The firm has a market cap of $408.12 billion, a PE ratio of 53.99, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 payout ratio is 27.25%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,514,232. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,816 shares of company stock valued at $6,981,347. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

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.