Wealth Alliance Increases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Wealth Alliance raised its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,295 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,187,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $42,896,000. Swedbank AB grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $393,391,000 after acquiring an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Blossom Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.3% during the third quarter. Blossom Wealth Management now owns 679 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $602,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 18,548 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,443,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the third quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,301 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,451,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. TD Cowen increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.7 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,034.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $974.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $928.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $697.27 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $459.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.73, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

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.