Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA Sells 2,957 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 245,784 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,957 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 2.1% of Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $237,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 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. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,043.81 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,063.00. 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 $463.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.29, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $961.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $914.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 target price (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale 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.