Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co.

Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,859 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 39 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,816 shares of company stock valued at $6,981,347. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $922.71 on Tuesday. 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 50 day moving average price of $944.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $897.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $1.16 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine 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, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.