Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Position Increased by Center For Asset Management LLC

Center For Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 36.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 366 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Center For Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $335,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. United Asset Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 2,260 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,951 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,453,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. waypoint wealth counsel boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 1,529 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 130,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $119,215,000 after purchasing an additional 41,904 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $8,776,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $965.25 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $951.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $903.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $686.26 and a 12-month high of $1,008.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.47 billion, a PE ratio of 56.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 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.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.