Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 56 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,694 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 56 shares during the quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $979.88 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $954.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $907.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $434.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.54, a PEG ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $691.50 and a 52-week high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

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.