Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Up 1.7% – Time to Buy?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) traded up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $997.77 and last traded at $997.03. 754,185 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 1,858,147 shares. The stock had previously closed at $979.88.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 target price (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $446.49 billion, a PE ratio of 59.06, a P/E/G ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $954.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $908.28.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company 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 is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. 68.48% of the stock is 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.