Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 2.5% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) were up 2.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $943.80 and last traded at $943.19. 2,367,034 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 29% from the average session volume of 1,832,091 shares. The stock had previously closed at $919.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on COST. Melius Research assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $876.00 to $995.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Truist Financial raised 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. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.5 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $949.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $901.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.38, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COST. New Century Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 680 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. FCG Investment Co increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. FCG Investment Co now owns 3,163 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,898,000 after buying an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. now owns 519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 796 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $729,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.