Sapient Capital LLC Trims Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 101,099 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,036 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.8% of Sapient Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $92,634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sculati Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Gill Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Scott Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 645 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $591,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,058.34 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,066.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $469.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $963.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $916.76.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Nine equities research 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, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

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.