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

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 32.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,368 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 655 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.8% of Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. IRON Financial LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 622 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $643,000. S. R. Schill & Associates lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. S. R. Schill & Associates now owns 266 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Court Place Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $964.02 on Thursday. 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 1-year low of $690.80 and a 1-year high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $427.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $953.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $905.62.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. 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 report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.