Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $844.52.

Several research analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $970.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Vima LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during 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 during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of COST opened at $916.00 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $406.09 billion, a PE ratio of 56.75, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $861.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $806.45. Costco Wholesale has a 1 year low of $540.23 and a 1 year high of $923.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

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.