Swedbank AB Sells 26,822 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Swedbank AB lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 416,925 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 26,822 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.09% of Costco Wholesale worth $382,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,031 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,861,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 4,975 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,559,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,536 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,072,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 123,700 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $113,343,000 after acquiring an additional 7,800 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of COST opened at $979.01 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $691.50 and a 1 year high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $953.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $906.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $434.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.