Blue Trust Inc. Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,893 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 2,982 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,878,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 622.3% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 152,247 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $139,499,000 after purchasing an additional 131,169 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 16,648 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,254,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,865,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,657 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $1,071.85 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $967.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $920.57. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on 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, UBS Group raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Nine equities 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

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.