GDS Wealth Management Buys 4,660 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

GDS Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 405.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,810 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,660 shares during the quarter. GDS Wealth Management’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,489,574,000 after purchasing an additional 32,074 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.8% during the 3rd quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 2,417 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,143,000 after buying an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.6% during the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 8,046 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,133,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Nwam LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $20,056,000. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $8,430,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,021.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $955.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $909.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $453.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.00, a PEG ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,024.35.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research 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 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.