Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Receives $1,013.59 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,013.59.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on COST. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.3 %

COST stock opened at $939.68 on Friday. 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 market cap of $417.12 billion, a PE ratio of 55.18, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale has a 1 year low of $675.96 and a 1 year high of $1,008.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $951.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $903.72.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Fermata Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,745,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scott Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently 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.