Weaver Capital Management LLC Purchases 355 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Weaver Capital Management LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,679 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.2% of Weaver Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,042.88 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,043.09. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $956.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $910.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $462.93 billion, a PE ratio of 61.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.