Cigna Investments Inc. New Sells 36 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Cigna Investments Inc. New lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,538 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.7% of Cigna Investments Inc. New’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Cigna Investments Inc. New’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $963.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $916.76. The firm has a market cap of $469.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on 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 Company 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.