ORG Wealth Partners LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

ORG Wealth Partners LLC reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 163 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 13 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hilltop National Bank raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 3,328 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,049,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 123,965 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $109,899,000 after buying an additional 973 shares during the period. Avondale Wealth Management increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 326.9% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the period. Finally, First International Bank & Trust increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth 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. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $936.94 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $415.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.02, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $667.64 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $947.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $898.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. This trade 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 the SEC website. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This represents a 16.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.