LVZ Inc. Acquires 641 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

LVZ Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 281.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 869 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the quarter. LVZ Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $390,000. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.3% in the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.7% in the third quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,109 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, James J. Burns & Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 34.5% during the third quarter. James J. Burns & Company LLC now owns 745 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $661,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,036.87 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $986.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $941.00. 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 company has a market cap of $460.27 billion, a PE ratio of 60.88, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

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.