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

First City Capital Management Inc. cut its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,913 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,916,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 1,777 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,629,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,020,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 32.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 627 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Peirce Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $332,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was 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 represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. The trade was a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,816 shares of company stock worth $6,981,347 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.1 %

COST stock traded up $9.58 during trading on Friday, hitting $919.39. 895,223 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,321,493. The stock has a market cap of $408.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $942.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $895.94. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $640.51 and a 1 year 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.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.