Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Boosts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,074 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 1.6% of Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 19.2% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,179 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,402,000 after buying an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Sage Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Advisors LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,250,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 111.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 231 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 352 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of COST opened at $979.01 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $434.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $953.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $906.03. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $691.50 and a 1 year high of $1,008.25.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.