Sentry Investment Management LLC Purchases 96 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,688 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.7% of Sentry Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,035.60 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $976.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $933.62. 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 $459.70 billion, a PE ratio of 60.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

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.