Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.6% – What’s Next?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) fell 0.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $940.11 and last traded at $942.18. 358,762 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 1,775,011 shares. The stock had previously closed at $947.73.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. 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. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $950.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $903.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $417.12 billion, a PE ratio of 55.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. 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 is presently 27.25%.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fermata Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the third quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,235,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scott Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Scott Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is 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.