Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Sells 3,200 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,256 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,200 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.8% of Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $82,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.0 %

COST opened at $1,035.03 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $975.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $931.39. The company has a market capitalization of $459.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.78, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note 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 note on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

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.