Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,221 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on COST shares. Barclays raised 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. Loop Capital lifted their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,071.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $969.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $923.85. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.94, a PEG ratio of 6.26 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.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid 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 payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.