Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target Increased to $955.00 by Analysts at Oppenheimer

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its price objective increased by Oppenheimer from $925.00 to $955.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on COST. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Argus boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $970.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $828.73.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $876.68 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $857.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $799.68. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $540.23 and a 12-month high of $918.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $388.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 57.3% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 62.6% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,274 shares during the last quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $501,000. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $352,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

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.