Hansen & Associates Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Hansen & Associates Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,534 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,442,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.7% of Hansen & Associates Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Integris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 663 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 874 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $801,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Financial Services LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,351,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $1,998,000. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 470,447 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $430,930,000 after purchasing an additional 88,308 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on COST. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on 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, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $979.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $434.97 billion, a PE ratio of 57.54, a P/E/G ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $691.50 and a one year high of $1,008.25. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $954.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $907.45.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Costco Wholesale 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.