Bender Robert & Associates Boosts Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Bender Robert & Associates lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,482 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.3% of Bender Robert & Associates’ holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Bender Robert & Associates’ holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,260 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,987,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $2,818,000. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 10,700 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,804,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 87,190 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,890,000 after acquiring an additional 1,085 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $930.49 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. The stock has a market cap of $413.04 billion, a PE ratio of 54.64, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $990.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $944.64. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. The company had revenue of $63.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.02 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,030.43.

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.