Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) is Capital Investment Counsel LLC's 6th Largest Position

Capital Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,077 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 288 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 2.2% of Capital Investment Counsel LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Capital Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $12,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Fermata Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Scott Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during 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 period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.6 %

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $14.99 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $979.01. 1,785,690 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,923,543. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.58 billion, a PE ratio of 57.49, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $953.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $906.03. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $691.50 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target 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. Loop Capital increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report 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 report on Thursday, December 5th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

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.