Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.2%

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) fell 0.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $902.50 and last traded at $905.61. 267,237 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 1,940,149 shares. The stock had previously closed at $907.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $676.00 price target (up previously from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $970.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.52.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $398.11 billion, a PE ratio of 56.11, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $862.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $807.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.75%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth about $206,000. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.4% during the second quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,907 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,470,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $212,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $1,534,000. Finally, Lazari Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 804 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.