Abbot Financial Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Abbot Financial Management Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 911 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Abbot Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,036.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $986.01 and a 200 day moving average of $941.00. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,078.24. The company has a market capitalization of $460.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.88, a PEG 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.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 is presently 27.25%.

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.