Shade Tree Advisors LLC Makes New $745,000 Investment in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Shade Tree Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 813 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $745,000. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.8% of Shade Tree Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. 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 stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,065.12 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $964.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $918.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $472.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.54, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,067.00.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a 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.