Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Down 0.1% – What’s Next?

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $923.50 and last traded at $926.80. Approximately 943,499 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 1,635,593 shares. The stock had previously closed at $927.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $413.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $946.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $897.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares in the company, valued at $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,300.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 308 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 7,402 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,292,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,394,060 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,184,937,000 after acquiring an additional 30,359 shares during the period. Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,026 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.