Cigna Investments Inc. New Sells 36 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Cigna Investments Inc. New lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,538 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.7% of Cigna Investments Inc. New’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Cigna Investments Inc. New’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in 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. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on COST. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $1,058.34 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $469.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.15, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $963.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $916.76. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,066.00.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company 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. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 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.