Roth Mkm Boosts Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $755.00

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price increased by Roth Mkm from $676.00 to $755.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on COST. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $915.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $980.00 price target (up from $950.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $881.19.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $885.62 on Friday. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $540.23 and a one year high of $923.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $870.67 and its 200-day moving average is $817.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $392.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.86 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale will post 16.02 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Strong Tower Advisory Services lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.9% in the first quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 1,867 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,346,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 52.1% during the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 7,645 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,499,000 after acquiring an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 22.8% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,533 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. Parcion Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 30.8% in the second quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,596 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aspiriant LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.1% in the first quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 2,327 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.