Evercore ISI Increases Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $1,070.00

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its price objective hoisted by Evercore ISI from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the retailer’s stock.

COST has been the topic of several other reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,050.99 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $466.53 billion, a PE ratio of 61.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,063.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $958.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $911.67.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Novus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $993,000. Acas LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Acas LLC now owns 3,579 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,279,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 5,360 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,940 shares during the period. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,762 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,447,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 14,082 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,903,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.