Vantage Investment Partners LLC Has $8.10 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Vantage Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,836 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth about $446,000. New Century Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% in the second quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 474 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,667,000. Centennial Bank AR increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Centennial Bank AR now owns 1,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,680,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Financial Advisors bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,328,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $964.02 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $690.80 and a 12 month high of $1,008.25. 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 $953.06 and its 200 day moving average is $905.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $427.93 billion, a PE ratio of 56.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend 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.