Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Has $1.55 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 201.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,687 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,035.03 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $459.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $975.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $931.39. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on COST. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 14th. 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.