Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Acquired by Traynor Capital Management Inc.

Traynor Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 48.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,112 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the period. Traynor Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. 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. UBS Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $942.16 on Friday. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $950.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $903.04. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $675.96 and a 52-week high of $1,008.25. The firm has a market cap of $418.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.32, a PEG ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 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.