Plato Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Plato Investment Management Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,016 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.9% of Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COST. Swedbank AB raised 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 during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 754 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $668,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. First Interstate Bank raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 7,456 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,610,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $913,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,048.61 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $982.51 and its 200 day moving average is $938.63. The company has a market cap of $465.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.57, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.