Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)’s stock price was up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $986.75 and last traded at $975.29. Approximately 514,090 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 1,854,878 shares. The stock had previously closed at $964.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on COST. Raymond James increased 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. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.5 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $953.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $906.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $434.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.48, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fermata Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,745,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Sculati Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Scott Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,247,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 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.