Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Banque Pictet & Cie SA

Banque Pictet & Cie SA lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,401 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 807 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,781,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $1,071.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.94, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $967.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $920.57. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.