Ghe LLC Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Ghe LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,640 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 2.3% of Ghe LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Ghe LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Loop Capital boosted 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. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,035.03 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $975.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $932.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $459.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 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. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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