ING Groep NV Sells 52,429 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

ING Groep NV lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 40.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 76,714 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 52,429 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $70,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in 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. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,034.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $974.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $928.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $459.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.73, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen upped their target price 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. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

About Costco Wholesale

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.