Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Position Reduced by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 56,200 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,600 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.0% of Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $51,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,065.12 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,067.00. The stock has a market cap of $472.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.54, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $964.53 and a 200-day moving average of $918.45.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.25%.

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.