Leavell Investment Management Inc. Acquires 142 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,276 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sculati Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,235,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Scott Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 645 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $591,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,065.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $964.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $918.45. The stock has a market cap of $472.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.54, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a one year low of $697.27 and a one year high of $1,067.00.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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 given 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 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.