Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Sells 1,866 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,999 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,866 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 0.9% of Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,235,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 645 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $591,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5 %

COST opened at $1,071.85 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $969.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $922.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $475.79 billion, a PE ratio of 62.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors 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 yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

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.