Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Holdings Increased by Xcel Wealth Management LLC

Xcel Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,519 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Xcel Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on COST. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,048.61 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market cap of $465.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $982.51 and a 200-day moving average of $937.59.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 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.