Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Holdings Lessened by Patron Partners LLC

Patron Partners LLC reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,456 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 2.7% of Patron Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Patron Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,021.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $453.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.00, a P/E/G ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,024.35. 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’s 50-day moving average is $955.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $909.45.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

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.