Violich Capital Management Inc. Sells 5,530 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Violich Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 56,512 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,530 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 6.7% of Violich Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Violich Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $51,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 3rd 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. Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.6% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Nwam LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $20,056,000. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $8,430,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,020,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,058.34 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,066.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $963.01 and its 200-day moving average is $916.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $469.80 billion, a PE ratio of 62.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued 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 is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.