Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) To Go Ex-Dividend on October 30th

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share by the retailer on Friday, November 13th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th.

Costco Wholesale has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.2% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. Costco Wholesale has a payout ratio of 29.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Costco Wholesale to earn $24.92 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 23.6%.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $978.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Costco Wholesale has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50. The company has a market cap of $433.38 billion, a PE ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $932.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $963.09.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.87 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 22.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sales and digital growth: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, a 13% year-over-year increase, while digitally enabled sales rose 19%. Continued membership-fee growth and strong member engagement reinforce the company’s growth narrative. September Sales Growth Could Change Costco’s Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Higher analyst target: Tigress Financial raised its Costco price target from $1,065 to $1,250 and maintained a Buy rating, citing digital sales and membership growth. The new target implies roughly 28% upside from the reference price. Costco Gets Bullish Analyst Call
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive positioning: Higher-than-expected inflation has encouraged investors to favor retailers selling everyday necessities. Costco has benefited from this rotation alongside Walmart and Target. Inflation Sends Money Into Defensive Retailers
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Costco declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, payable November 13 to shareholders of record October 30. While the approximately 0.6% yield is modest, the payout supports the company’s shareholder-return profile. Costco Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for larger or relocated warehouses, including projects in Oakland and Merced County, could expand Costco’s long-term footprint, but the projects are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Oakland Costco Expansion Proposal
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: COST trades at roughly 47 times earnings, leaving limited room for execution misses or a slowdown in membership, sales or consumer spending. Why Investors Keep Buying Expensive Costco Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares worth approximately $1.05 million, reducing his direct holdings by 26.2%. The transaction is relatively small but may temper sentiment at a richly valued stock. Costco Executive Stock Sale

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.

Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.