Private Wealth Partners LLC Sells 1,543 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Private Wealth Partners LLC lessened its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,093 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,543 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 2.4% of Private Wealth Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Private Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $31,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,489,574,000 after buying an additional 32,074 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 7.6% during the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 8,046 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,133,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Nwam LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $20,056,000. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $8,430,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,020,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on COST shares. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of COST traded down $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,032.83. 1,111,663 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,883,502. The stock has a market cap of $458.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.66, a P/E/G ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.84. The stock's 50-day moving average is $974.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $928.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $697.27 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.