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

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,026 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 246 shares during the quarter. 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,896,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake 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 buying an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% during the third quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. now owns 766 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $679,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.8% during the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 545 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $483,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 10.7% during the third quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,152,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price 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. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,056.03 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $972.43 and a 200-day moving average of $927.29. The company has a market capitalization of $468.77 billion, a PE ratio of 62.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Costco Wholesale 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.