Chicago Capital LLC Cuts Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Chicago Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 94,094 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,422 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.3% of Chicago Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Chicago Capital LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $86,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on COST. DA Davidson raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,005.83 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $954.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $908.28. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,009.61. 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 $446.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.06, a PEG ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.