Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stake Lessened by Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,026 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 246 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 2.4% of Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $12,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Gill Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Scott Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 645 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of 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. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.5 %

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,056.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $468.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.01, a P/E/G ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $972.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $927.29.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. 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.