Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Boosts Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,065 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on COST. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 14th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $1,046.85 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $464.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $984.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $939.83. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

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.