Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Ballast Inc.

Ballast Inc. cut its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,951 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 76 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.8% of Ballast Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% in the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $943.19 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $675.96 and a 1-year high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.68 billion, a PE ratio of 55.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $949.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $901.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on COST. UBS Group raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.