First County Bank CT Sells 1,241 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

First County Bank CT lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 27.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,354 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,241 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 1.7% of First County Bank CT’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. First County Bank CT’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its stake in 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 during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer reiterated 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. Citigroup boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock traded down $0.46 on Tuesday, hitting $922.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,021,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,586,203. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $654.03 and a fifty-two week high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $944.01 and its 200-day moving average is $897.06. The company has a market capitalization of $409.39 billion, a PE ratio of 54.15, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,409.10. This represents a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,816 shares of company stock valued at $6,981,347 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.