Paragon Financial Partners Inc. Cuts Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Paragon Financial Partners Inc. lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,696 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.9% of Paragon Financial Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Paragon Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $942.16 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $675.96 and a 12-month high of $1,008.25. The company has a market capitalization of $418.22 billion, a PE ratio of 55.32, a PEG ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $950.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $903.04. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

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.