Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price Up 0.2% – What’s Next?

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) were up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $1,062.74 and last traded at $1,057.94. Approximately 321,581 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 1,872,893 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,056.03.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $972.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $927.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $469.90 billion, a PE ratio of 62.16, a P/E/G ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 250.0% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other 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.