Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Position Decreased by Balentine LLC

Balentine LLC lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 86.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 236 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,559 shares during the period. Balentine LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. New Republic Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. New Republic Capital LLC now owns 542 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. JSF Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 4,406 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,037,000 after buying an additional 557 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 1,128 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $359,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,058.34 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,066.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $963.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $916.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $469.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.15, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on COST shares. 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Loop Capital upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.