Valmark Advisers Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Valmark Advisers Inc. cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,567 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 32 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,896,000. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after buying an additional 6,495 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $214,000. Clarity Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clarity Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,327 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,041,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,229,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,071.85 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $475.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $969.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $923.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

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.