Affiance Financial LLC Trims Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Affiance Financial LLC lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 591 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. Affiance Financial LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaMark Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 85.2% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 250 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC now owns 3,773 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,457,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Jacksonville Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $394,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 7,050 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,460,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insight Inv LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 714 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $654,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $939.68 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $417.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.18, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $675.96 and a 12 month high of $1,008.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $951.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $903.84. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average 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.