Park Avenue Securities LLC Has $21.84 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 14.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,830 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,014 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $21,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.8% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 87 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale 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 value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $923.50 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $949.23 and its 200 day moving average is $900.20. 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 cap of $409.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.23, a PEG ratio of 6.02 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.

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.