BayBridge Capital Group LLC Purchases 131 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

BayBridge Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,864 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.2% of BayBridge Capital Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. BayBridge Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on COST. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,043.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $463.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.29, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $961.27 and its 200 day moving average is $914.00. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,063.00.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. 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 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.