Draper Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Draper Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,327 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.4% of Draper Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Draper Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of COST opened at $1,026.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $455.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.28, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,078.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $989.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $942.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.