Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Northern Financial Advisors Inc

Northern Financial Advisors Inc trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,578 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 92 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.2% of Northern Financial Advisors Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Northern Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,896,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $213,000. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,169 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $194,245,000 after buying an additional 11,678 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares during the period. Finally, Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 870 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,071.85 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $475.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.94, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $967.91 and a 200-day moving average of $920.57. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

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.