Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading 0.8% Higher – What’s Next?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)’s share price shot up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $1,034.00 and last traded at $1,030.02. 451,726 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,895,434 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,021.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of 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, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business’s 50-day moving average is $956.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $910.75. The company has a market capitalization of $460.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.