New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $547.08 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 597,073 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,104 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 0.7% of New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $547,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Davidson Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors now owns 768 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 15,473 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,177,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347 shares during the period. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 454 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 1,178 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,080,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Davidson Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 5,653 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,180,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. UBS Group lifted 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,056.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $468.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.01, a P/E/G ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month 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. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $972.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $927.29.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 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.