Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Stonegate Investment Group LLC

Stonegate Investment Group LLC reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,231 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 378 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.9% of Stonegate Investment Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Stonegate Investment Group LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $70,765,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $14.99 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $979.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,785,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,923,543. The company has a market capitalization 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. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $691.50 and a 12-month high of $1,008.25. The company's fifty day moving average is $953.78 and its 200-day moving average is $906.03. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.