Bailard Inc. Sells 160 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Bailard Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,906 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.9% of Bailard Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $35,649,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. 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 shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,048.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $982.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $938.10. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 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.