PFG Investments LLC Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,946 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.0% of PFG Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. PFG Investments LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $16,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Investment Advisors MI lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 1,318 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Armbruster Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Armbruster Capital Management Inc. now owns 365 shares of the retailer's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,219,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 126 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, OLIO Financial Planning purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $256,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST traded down $6.58 on Tuesday, hitting $958.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,165,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,943,932. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $952.49 and a 200-day moving average of $904.81. The company has a market capitalization of $425.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $686.26 and a 12-month high of $1,008.25. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.