Everence Capital Management Inc. Buys 1,590 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Everence Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,913 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,590 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 0.7% of Everence Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,916,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during 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 during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $71,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

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

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $13.75 on Friday, reaching $923.56. 550,209 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,127,287. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $640.51 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $942.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $895.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $409.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.23, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on COST. Barclays increased their target price 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. 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 research note on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Melius Research assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

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.