Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Purchased by Kanawha Capital Management LLC

Kanawha Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,648 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.2% of Kanawha Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Kanawha Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $15,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on COST. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on 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. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,071.85 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $967.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $920.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.