Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Purchases 2,268 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,100 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,268 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $42,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,035.60 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $976.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $933.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $459.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.81, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.