Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Down 0.6% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) traded down 0.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $1,031.28 and last traded at $1,030.76. 317,911 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 1,829,515 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,036.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. Raymond James increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $986.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $941.00. The stock has a market cap of $461.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,573,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,134 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,165,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. GHE LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 6,640 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,084,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cim LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 22,448 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $20,569,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.