Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price Up 0.1% – What’s Next?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)’s share price rose 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $925.77 and last traded at $917.55. Approximately 476,666 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 1,942,804 shares. The stock had previously closed at $916.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson lifted their price target 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. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,011.74.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.1 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $942.54 and its 200 day moving average is $895.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $402.23 billion, a PE ratio of 53.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,091,512.30. This represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,816 shares of company stock valued at $6,981,347 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 230.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 66 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 329.4% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 73 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $71,000. 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.