Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,070 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 145 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.9% of Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $9.57 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $936.94. The company had a trading volume of 2,682,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,855,842. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $667.64 and a 52-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 has a market capitalization of $415.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.02, a P/E/G ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50 day moving average of $946.73 and a 200 day moving average of $897.99.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 presently 27.25%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson boosted their target price 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 boosted their price objective on 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

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.