Baron Wealth Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Baron Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 258 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,896,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 90,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $80,063,000 after purchasing an additional 5,799 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 756 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,898 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,683,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $283,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital raised 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 research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 target price on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

COST opened at $979.88 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $954.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $906.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $434.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.54, a P/E/G ratio of 5.75 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.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio 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.