Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 0.4%

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $908.63 and last traded at $904.75. Approximately 411,713 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,949,909 shares. The stock had previously closed at $901.54.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $676.00 target price (up previously from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Barclays boosted their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $857.48.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $867.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $813.69. 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 company has a market capitalization of $402.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.06, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the company’s 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 approximately $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following 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 three months, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.