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

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,021.93.

A number of research firms have issued reports on COST. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target for the company. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 250.0% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,071.85 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.94, a P/E/G ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $969.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $923.85.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

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.