Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Buys 2,541 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 96,657 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,541 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.3% of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $88,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,196,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. SRN Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,823,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $1,031.97 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. 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 has a market capitalization of $458.09 billion, a PE ratio of 60.60, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $979.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $935.71.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.