Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Down 0.4% – Should You Sell?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) shares were down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $1,024.68 and last traded at $1,030.47. Approximately 468,578 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 1,864,754 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,034.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.0 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $975.61 and a 200 day moving average of $931.39. The firm has a market cap of $459.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.78, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 250.0% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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.