Howard Capital Management Inc. Purchases 1,187 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,640 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,187 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $16,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,896,000. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $393,391,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.2% during the third quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 2,725 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,416,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,638 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.5% during the third quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 2,183 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,035.03 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $975.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $931.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $459.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.78, 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 $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.