GAM Holding AG Boosts Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

GAM Holding AG increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,658 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,216 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.1% of GAM Holding AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. GAM Holding AG's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,487,057 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,380,648,000 after acquiring an additional 162,191 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,308,615 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,252,274,000 after purchasing an additional 324,973 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 113,947.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,370,916 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,534,464,000 after buying an additional 7,364,453 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,399,127 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,013,394,000 after buying an additional 125,444 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,075,065 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,726,107,000 after acquiring an additional 70,561 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $8.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,026.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 621,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,870,614. 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $974.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $928.97. The company has a market capitalization of $455.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.27, a P/E/G ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.25%.

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.