Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) is Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s 10th Largest Position

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,789 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 108 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 2.6% of Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after buying an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $390,000. Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.5% in the third quarter. Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 359 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Balentine LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $1,591,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% in the third quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 719 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,047.75 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $697.27 and a 12 month high of $1,078.24. The company has a market cap of $465.10 billion, a PE ratio of 61.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $987.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $941.75.

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 given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

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.