Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Purchases Shares of 9,802 Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,802 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $8,776,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $965.25 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $686.26 and a fifty-two week high of $1,008.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $951.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $903.97. The firm has a market cap of $428.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

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.