Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Sells 306 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC decreased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,865 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 306 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $21,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. Fermata Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,745,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,398,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Scott Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on COST. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $939.68 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $951.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $903.72. The company has a market cap of $417.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.18, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $675.96 and a one year high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.