Bensler LLC Has $10.16 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Bensler LLC reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,092 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 197 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 1.2% of Bensler LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Bensler LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,464,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,283 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Prospect Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Prospect Financial Services LLC now owns 818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,896 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 41.1% during the fourth quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 652 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on COST. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,065.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.6 %

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $964.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $427.93 billion, a PE ratio of 56.61, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $690.80 and a 12 month high of $1,008.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $953.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $905.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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 of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.