Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,013.59.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3 %

COST opened at $942.16 on Friday. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $675.96 and a one year high of $1,008.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $418.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $950.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $903.04.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

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.