Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Holdings Lessened by Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 37.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 826 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 505 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned 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.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $943.19 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $949.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $901.47. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $675.96 and a one year high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market cap of $418.68 billion, a price-to-earnings 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.

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.