Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Sells 259 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,007 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 259 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 3.7% of Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,043.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $959.83 and its 200-day moving average is $912.64. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,063.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $463.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.29, a P/E/G ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. 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.