Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Balentine LLC

Balentine LLC decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 86.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 236 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,559 shares during the period. Balentine LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,058.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $469.80 billion, a PE ratio of 62.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $963.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $916.76. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,066.00.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

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.