Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Wendell David Associates Inc.

Wendell David Associates Inc. lowered its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,985 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.6% of Wendell David Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $16,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,489,574,000 after acquiring an additional 32,074 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.8% during the 3rd quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 2,417 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,143,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 8,046 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,133,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the period. Nwam LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $20,056,000. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $8,430,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Robert W. Baird upped 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. UBS Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $942.16 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $675.96 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The stock has a market cap of $418.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.32, a PEG ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $950.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $903.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

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.