Vista Capital Partners Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Vista Capital Partners Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,882 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 244 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.3% of Vista Capital Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Vista Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.6 %

COST stock opened at $1,062.54 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $973.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $928.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $471.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.39, a PEG ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $697.27 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on COST. Loop Capital upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. 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 research report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

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.