Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Holdings Lowered by Bank of Stockton

Bank of Stockton decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,087 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 48 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.0% of Bank of Stockton’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,494,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,167 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,902,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 86.1% in the fourth quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,887 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,394,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,004 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,250,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Capital Corp MA ADV purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $2,339,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James lifted their price target 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,034.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company has a market capitalization of $459.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.73, a P/E/G ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $974.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $928.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 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.