Busey Bank Sells 6,619 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Busey Bank lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 68.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,083 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,619 shares during the quarter. Busey Bank’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,896,000. Czech National Bank grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 90,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $80,063,000 after acquiring an additional 5,799 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.0% in the third quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 756 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $671,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the third quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,898 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,683,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $283,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

COST stock opened at $979.88 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $691.50 and a one year high of $1,008.25. The stock has a market cap of $434.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $954.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $906.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays raised 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. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

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.