Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Sells 1,012 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,073 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,012 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.7% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $35,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,043.81 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $463.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.29, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,063.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $961.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $914.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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 report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

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.