Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) were up 0.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $911.09 and last traded at $907.59. Approximately 410,930 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,946,675 shares. The stock had previously closed at $900.40.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have commented on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.52.
Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.5 %
The firm has a market capitalization of $405.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $859.92 and its 200 day moving average is $803.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.
Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.75%.
Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale
In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.
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.