Stablepoint Partners LLC Sells 188 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Stablepoint Partners LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,325 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 188 shares during the period. Stablepoint Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 1,517 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. M3 Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. M3 Advisory Group LLC now owns 994 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Clarendon Private LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $798,000. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 972 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $891,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Park Edge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 46.4% in the fourth quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,866,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $965.25 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $428.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.68, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $686.26 and a 52 week high of $1,008.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $951.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $903.97.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on COST shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

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.