Farmers Trust Co. Acquires 163 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Farmers Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 66.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 409 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Farmers Trust Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,300.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 308 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 284.7% during the 2nd quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,809 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,238,000 after buying an additional 2,819 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 204,804 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $174,081,000 after acquiring an additional 3,794 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.1% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 1,259 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Andra AP fonden raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 33,100 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,135,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares in the company, valued at $9,091,512.30. This represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,816 shares of company stock worth $6,981,347. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded up $5.56 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $926.93. 1,058,048 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,650,657. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $658.26 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $411.46 billion, a PE ratio of 54.43, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50 day moving average is $944.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $897.58.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of 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. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.