Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Acquired by Verus Capital Partners LLC

Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,345 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position 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 last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,021.71 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $453.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.99, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $980.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $936.31.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on COST. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale 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.