Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Sterling Financial Planning Inc.

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 41.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 712 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 502 shares during the period. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. TBH Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 5,270 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.0% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 9,521 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,724,000 after purchasing an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 69,695 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $63,859,000 after buying an additional 4,315 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,104,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 815 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $747,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,062.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $471.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.39, a P/E/G ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s fifty day moving average is $973.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $928.24. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid 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 is presently 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus 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.