Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stake Lowered by Pittenger & Anderson Inc.

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,768 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,739 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.8% of Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $50,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,896,000. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after buying an additional 6,495 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Verde Capital Management lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 246.8% during the third quarter. Verde Capital Management now owns 1,446 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after buying an additional 1,029 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,071.85 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $969.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $923.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a PE ratio of 62.94, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

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.