Martin Capital Advisors LLP Boosts Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Martin Capital Advisors LLP boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,726 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 2.8% of Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Barrett & Company Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 16 shares during the period. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.7 %

COST opened at $1,061.92 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,063.00. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $961.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $915.02. The firm has a market cap of $471.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.