ORG Partners LLC Purchases 1,108 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 48.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,415 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,108 shares during the quarter. ORG Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. First International Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. First International Bank & Trust now owns 1,330 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,219,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 3,130 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the period. Farmers Trust Co. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 66.3% in the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 409 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Private Client Services LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Client Services LLC now owns 866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $794,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 32,994 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,231,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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 boosted 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded up $1.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $929.22. 835,963 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,622,404. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $667.64 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $946.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $897.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $412.48 billion, a PE ratio of 54.56, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 16.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.