Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lowered its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,165 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.7% of New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of COST opened at $1,071.85 on Friday. The firm 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. The company’s fifty day moving average is $969.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $922.35. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $697.27 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

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.