Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Forsta AP Fonden

Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 123,700 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,800 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.8% of Forsta AP Fonden’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $113,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Fermata Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the third quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scott Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $979.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.58 billion, a PE ratio of 57.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $691.50 and a 12 month high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The business has a 50-day moving average of $953.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $906.03.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.