Motco Sells 456 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Motco lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,331 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 456 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.4% of Motco’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Motco’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,021.71 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $453.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $980.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $936.31. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on COST. DA Davidson increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

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.