Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by LGT Group Foundation

LGT Group Foundation reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,170 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,028 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $15,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Swedbank AB increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $393,391,000 after acquiring an additional 6,495 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 754 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $959,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. First Interstate Bank boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 7,456 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,610,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $913,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,048.61 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $982.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $938.63. The firm has a market cap of $465.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.