Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 2,028 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,849 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,028 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 3.6% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $98,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,048.61 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $982.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $938.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $465.48 billion, a PE ratio of 61.57, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Truist Financial raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

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.