Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Sells 70 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 868 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $393,391,000 after buying an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 15,397 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,650,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the period. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 19.5% during the third quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Values Added Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.7% during the third quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fonville Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.1% in the third quarter. Fonville Wealth Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,048.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $465.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $982.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $938.10. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. 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.