Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Receives $1,021.93 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, 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 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,021.93.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.6 %

COST stock opened at $1,062.54 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $973.78 and a 200 day moving average of $928.24. The firm has a market cap of $471.66 billion, a PE ratio of 62.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $697.27 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,896,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,169 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $194,245,000 after buying an additional 11,678 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $393,391,000 after acquiring an additional 6,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 14.2% during the third quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,253 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by 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.