United Asset Strategies Inc. Purchases 59 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,260 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,071,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,951 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,453,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. waypoint wealth counsel raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 1,529 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 130,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $119,215,000 after purchasing an additional 41,904 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $8,776,000. Finally, Apexium Financial LP increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 773 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.7 %

NASDAQ COST opened at $965.25 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $951.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $903.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $686.26 and a one year 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. The company has a market capitalization of $428.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.68, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. 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.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

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.