Private Advisor Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,695 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,315 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $63,859,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.6 %

COST stock opened at $1,062.54 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $973.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $928.24. The company has a market capitalization of $471.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.