Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Position Lifted by Emerald Advisors LLC

Emerald Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 643,510 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,559 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 81.3% of Emerald Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Emerald Advisors LLC owned about 0.14% of Costco Wholesale worth $589,629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TBH Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 5,270 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,829,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.0% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 9,521 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,724,000 after acquiring an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 69,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $63,859,000 after acquiring an additional 4,315 shares during the period. Good Life Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $8,104,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 815 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,062.54 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $471.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $973.78 and its 200 day moving average is $928.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

About Costco Wholesale

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.