W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co Decreases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co lessened its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,851 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.2% of W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $42,896,000. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $393,391,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $650,000. Tarbox Family Office Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tarbox Family Office Inc. now owns 894 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $793,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the third quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,329,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,035.03 on Monday. 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 fifty-two week low of $697.27 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $459.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.78, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $975.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $932.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. DA Davidson upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.