Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,987 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in 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. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 107,216 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $95,001,000 after acquiring an additional 6,559 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,403,000. Holistic Planning LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Windward Capital Management Co. CA boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Windward Capital Management Co. CA now owns 73,633 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,277,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $964.31 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $989.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $943.44. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.62, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.02 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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 research note on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

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.