YHB Investment Advisors Inc. Trims Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 43,435 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,045 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 3.3% of YHB Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $39,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,489,574,000 after purchasing an additional 32,074 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 62.8% in the third quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 2,417 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,143,000 after acquiring an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 8,046 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,133,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the period. Nwam LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $20,056,000. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,430,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on COST. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST traded up $14.99 on Thursday, reaching $979.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,785,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,923,439. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $691.50 and a 52-week high of $1,008.25. The company has a market cap of $434.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $953.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $906.03.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.25%.

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.