WBH Advisory Inc. Cuts Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

WBH Advisory Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,457 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 19 shares during the period. WBH Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on COST. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,071.85 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.94, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The company’s fifty day moving average is $969.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $923.13. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

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.