Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,100 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,268 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $42,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,808,255 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,489,574,000 after purchasing an additional 32,074 shares during the period. Hudson Value Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.6% during the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 8,046 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,133,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Nwam LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $20,056,000. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $8,430,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,020,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,035.60 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $976.47 and its 200-day moving average is $933.62. 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 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $459.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.81, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price target (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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 research note on Friday, December 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.