Aspiriant LLC Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Aspiriant LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,014 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 32 shares during the quarter. Aspiriant LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $947.73 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $950.03 and a 200-day moving average of $902.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.70 billion, a PE ratio of 55.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $675.96 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on COST. StockNews.com lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company 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.