Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Clarity Capital Partners LLC

Clarity Capital Partners LLC decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 528 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 32 shares during the quarter. Clarity Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $484,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diversified Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Retirement Guys Formula LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 2,638 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,417,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Avion Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 114 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 1,002 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 2,124 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Loop Capital increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,065.12 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $964.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $918.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $472.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.54, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,067.00.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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