Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 47.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,110 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 41,904 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $119,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COST. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,246,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.5% during the second quarter. Invst LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,028,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.8% in the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 802 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $55,508,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,728,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.7 %

COST opened at $965.25 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $951.57 and its 200-day moving average is $903.97. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $686.26 and a 52-week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $428.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.68, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 price objective (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

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.