Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price Down 0.5% – Should You Sell?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)’s share price fell 0.5% on Monday . The company traded as low as $1,068.01 and last traded at $1,071.85. 1,409,326 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 1,921,622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,076.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.5 %

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $969.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $923.85. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $475.79 billion, a PE ratio of 62.94, a PEG ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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 0.43%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elefante Mark B acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $640,000. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 13,180 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,076,000 after purchasing an additional 2,760 shares during the period. Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $2,260,000. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 43,204 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596 shares during the period. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC now owns 3,084 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently 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.