Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Stake Increased by St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC

St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,830 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 23 shares during the quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.3 %

COST stock opened at $939.68 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a twelve month low of $675.96 and a twelve month high of $1,008.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $417.12 billion, a PE ratio of 55.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $951.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $903.72.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid 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 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

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.