Forza Wealth Management LLC Buys 431 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Forza Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,080 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.3% of Forza Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Forza Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,822,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $29,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $58,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% in the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $71,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock traded down $8.94 on Monday, hitting $928.00. 922,333 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,809,361. The firm has a market cap of $411.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.49, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $675.96 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $947.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $899.20. 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 Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on COST. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine equities 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.