Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 2,381 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,181 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,381 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.6% of Yousif Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $54,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sargent Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 5,133 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 83.2% during the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 2,378 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,080 shares during the period. James J. Burns & Company LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. James J. Burns & Company LLC now owns 773 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,905 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,757,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,780,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.1 %

COST stock opened at $1,042.88 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $462.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.24, a P/E/G ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,043.09. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $956.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $910.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on COST. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of 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 lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

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.