Roth Mkm Increases Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $755.00

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price hoisted by Roth Mkm from $676.00 to $755.00 in a report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on COST. DA Davidson restated a neutral rating and set a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Loop Capital upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,005.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Gordon Haskett raised Costco Wholesale from an accumulate rating to a buy rating and set a $925.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $881.19.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $885.62 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $870.67 and its 200-day moving average is $817.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $392.62 billion, a PE ratio of 54.87, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale has a 1-year low of $540.23 and a 1-year high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 16.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total value of $437,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,015,745. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 57.3% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.6% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the period. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 3,802 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,510,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.