Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Receives $691.28 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $694.48.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $680.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, April 11th.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $722.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $320.51 billion, a PE ratio of 47.26, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $476.75 and a one year high of $787.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $730.32 and a 200 day moving average of $664.04.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.30 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total transaction of $567,445.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,228,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,682,948. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of COST. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,832,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. HBW Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Caliber Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.1% in the third quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,485 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,534,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Hall Laurie J Trustee lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.5% in the third quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 468 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during 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.