3,387 Shares in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Acquired by Clare Market Investments LLC

Clare Market Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,387 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,103,000. Costco Wholesale comprises 0.7% of Clare Market Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 35,125 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,184,000 after purchasing an additional 2,144 shares during the period. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 423 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gallagher Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $3,718,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $964.31 on Monday. 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 one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $989.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $943.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.09%.

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.