FourThought Financial Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

FourThought Financial Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,432 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 137 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.3% of FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $12,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,896,000. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 122,992 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $109,034,000 after purchasing an additional 7,684 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 4,162 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,690,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covenant Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 29.8% during the third quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 545 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Roth Mkm upped 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. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,035.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $976.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $933.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $459.70 billion, a PE ratio of 60.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. 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.