Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 301.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,284 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 964 shares during the quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,176,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,896,000. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $393,391,000 after buying an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $214,000. Clarity Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clarity Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,327 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,041,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $1,071.85 on Monday. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a PE ratio of 62.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $969.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $923.13.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

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.