Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Down 0.7% – What’s Next?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)’s share price was down 0.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $936.49 and last traded at $938.19. Approximately 257,428 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 1,793,955 shares. The stock had previously closed at $944.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $951.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $903.72. 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 company has a market capitalization of $417.12 billion, a PE ratio of 55.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.25%.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.