James Investment Research Inc. Reduces Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

James Investment Research Inc. lessened its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,009 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 153 shares during the quarter. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,071.85 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $475.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $969.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $923.13. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

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.