Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Invera Wealth Advisors LLC

Invera Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,759 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 136 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.6% of Invera Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,062.54 on Thursday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $973.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $928.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $471.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.39, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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