Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,849 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,028 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 3.6% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $98,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Swedbank AB grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 15,397 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,650,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Values Added Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fonville Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fonville Wealth Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on COST. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,048.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $465.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $982.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $938.10. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend 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.