Welch Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Welch Group LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,905 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,780,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,967 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,216,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,759 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,612,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flavin Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $1,494,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,042.88 on Thursday. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,043.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $956.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $910.75. The stock has a market cap of $462.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.24, a PEG ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. 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.