Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) traded up 1.7% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $936.94 and last traded at $935.40. 793,068 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 1,722,926 shares. The stock had previously closed at $919.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,065.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,075.00 price objective (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $416.70 billion, a PE ratio of 55.10, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The business has a 50-day moving average of $949.72 and a 200 day moving average of $900.36.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth approximately $4,202,000. Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 33.3% in the 2nd quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 1,473 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,252,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. Beck Bode LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 15,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,563,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Sienna Gestion raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the second quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 15,652 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,298,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. Finally, Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.3% in the second quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 972 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $826,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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.