Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 471 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 62 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $979.01 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $953.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $906.03. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $691.50 and a 52-week high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on COST. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays lifted their target price 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. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

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.