Zhang Financial LLC Acquires 171 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Zhang Financial LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,527 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.5 %

COST opened at $943.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $949.82 and its 200-day moving average is $901.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $675.96 and a 52-week high of $1,008.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on COST. Evercore ISI increased 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.